The Legacy of Paneau: Duality
by Sile Crowley
Summary: Sequel to LOP: Veracity. As the search is underway for Koril Rys'tihn, friends Mand Natiyr and Elena-May Lyran learn just how far fellow Jedi Rech Natiyr has come after his brief brush with the Dark Side. Occurs 0.7 - 1 APC.
1. Chapter 1

Though it was already well into the night in Dalon, a powerful, heavy thunderstorm had settled over Paneau's capital city, completely blocking out all starlight. Within minutes, it released a torrential downpour, drenching the quiet city streets in a sudden flood. Blinding flashes of lightning lit up vacant office buildings mere moments before ground-shattering thunder rolled through them, violently shaking their transparisteel windows. The rumble could be heard for kilometers, penetrating Dalon and its suburbs all the way to the Naeron Mountains bordering the metropolis. The storm itself was large enough to cover the entirety of Dalon, and its heaviest rain fell from its center as strong winds whipped the sheets of water in all directions.

The storm persisted for most of the night, wreaking havoc on travel in and out of the city. Already in disarray from the Huxnel blockade that had been dissolved just hours ago, the spaceports about the planet struggled to organize incoming ships and safely order ships leaving as night blanketed the busiest cities. As the fierce storm raged overhead, all craft in Dalon were grounded, including the personal luxury yacht, the _Celestia_, resting in its home hangar on the Rys'tihn Manor grounds.

Jedi Knight Elena-May Lyran silently sat on the edge of the bed in the fourth-floor bedroom that she and her fiancée Koril Rys'tihn had shared for the past three months. The Manor had become as much her home as his, and together they had created countless memories in it as they prepared for their wedding and later, for the birth of their first child. Hardly more than a week ago, the baby's room, next door to theirs, had been fully furnished, stocked, and arranged by servants of the Rys'tihn Manor under Koril's direction, but too busy making sure the wedding plans were on schedule, Elena hadn't yet seen it. And as she prepared to leave the planet for an unexpected mission, she couldn't bring herself to.

Koril was gone, taken away aboard a Star Destroyer crewed by the ruthless and greedy Huxnel. In an effort to impose their will on Paneau's leadership and mine a rare but valuable substance from its ocean floors, the Huxnel had captured Elena's friends Mand Natiyr and Kihara Marelleck, as well as Deilia Rys'tihn, Koril's twin sister and Ghost Heir. Offering himself as ransom for Deilia, who was also pregnant, Koril had been taken prisoner by the Huxnel, too, and was the only one of the four who hadn't escaped before the Destroyers left. When help arrived in the form of New Republic firepower, the four Destroyers that had blockaded the planet disappeared into hyperspace in four separate directions.

Though Elena could still sense that Koril was alive, she had faintly experienced part of his torture through their emerging connection in the Force. It had only pained her briefly, but she feared that it had been far worse for him. After all he had endured already over the past year, he was being subjected to even more suffering at their hands, and Elena felt powerless to help him. She had to worry more about herself and protect her son if anything were to happen to Koril...

Lost in thought, Elena held her Rys'tihn Crest lightly, running her fingers over its smooth, jeweled surface. Koril had one altered slightly for her, set with small Hoth Diamonds instead of a few red gems in its center. It had been her engagement present, customized just for her. As she turned it over in her hand, she gently rubbed her stomach, calming her son inside her. Though he was hardly developed enough to do more than stretch and kick, he was easily affected by her mood, and as upset as she was, she was surprised he wasn't more active.

Soft footsteps around the corner caught her attention, but she quickly recognized the presence as that of her best friend Mand Natiyr. The thunderstorm was still raging outside, so she knew Mand wasn't coming to collect her. Afraid her friend was bringing bad news, Elena maintained her gaze on the floor in front of her.

"Elena," Mand began softly, sitting beside her, "are you alright?"

Elena didn't answer, but rather shared the thought that had been repeating in the back of her mind since Koril had left.

"I shouldn't have let him go."

Mand allowed a brief silence to hang between them before she responded. "He had to. He was the most logical choice. You certainly couldn't have gone in his place; look at what they did to Kihara and me."

Elena knew her friend was trying to get her to think about the situation differently, but she stubbornly refused to. Before Koril had even gotten to the Huxnel's flagship, Deilia had already been rescued by Rech, rendering his self-sacrifice needless. She should have stopped him somehow, delayed him, but now he was at the Huxnel's mercy, as was she. As she faced having to raise a child on her own, she easily clung to fear and regret.

Mand sighed lightly beside her, putting a hand on Elena's shoulder. "You know he's still alive, right?"

Elena nodded after a moment, meeting Mand's gaze. Though she wasn't able to sense his presence enough to lead her to him, she at least still felt him in her mind through their connection. Mand leveled a determined look at her, her eyes intense.

"Then we're going to find him. I won't leave your side until we do."

Again, Elena nodded, accepting her friend's assertion. Once an agent for the Huxnel, Mand was their best chance at finding Koril. She would know better than anyone where to look for the elusive pirates, and that thought at least brought Elena a little hope.

"Come on," Mand said softly as she stood from the bed and gently tugged Elena up by the arm. "There are some people downstairs who want to talk to you before we leave." Curious but anxious at the same time, Elena stood and followed Mand, tucking her crest back under her tunic as they left her bedroom.

The halls of the Rys'tihn Manor were eerily quiet, and even the servant staff looked somber as they bowed to Elena as she passed. Word had spread quickly, she mused, but at least they hadn't hounded her with questions. A dozen more security guards lined the walkways and were posted at all entrances, per Koril's orders, after two Huxnel agents had infiltrated the Manor earlier in the week. The extra security pacified Elena little, though, since the Huxnel had gotten into the Manor with the Crest belonging to Deilia, whom they had captured. Though she had returned safely from a medical frigate in the neighboring system, her Crest was still missing.

As the turbolift doors opened onto the main floor, Elena stepped out to see several faces immediately turn to her. They were gathered in the main atrium, and all talk ceased as she approached them. Vianne Banarecc, Sol and Kander Gedall, and Jethro and Annaliza Trislena stood together with Kaydee, the Rys'tihn protocol droid, who was hovering around them. But behind the six were three people she was completely surprised to see: her parents, Race and Sirema Lyran, and her brother, Jeric.

"Sweetheart," Sirema said with relief as she rushed to Elena and embraced her tightly. "We were so worried when they told us we couldn't land."

"We took up orbit over Salastryn until those Destroyers left," Race answered a question Elena hadn't asked yet as he strode up behind Sirema, looking equally relieved to see his daughter.

"Are you feeling okay? They didn't hurt you or the baby, did they?" As Sirema anxiously looked her over, Elena waved away her concern.

"I'm fine, mom. They didn't touch me." After Sirema stepped back, Elena continued, diverting attention from herself. "How did you get here? Spaceport Control isn't letting anyone land or leave while this storm is on top of us."

"We landed in Narotomi and got a taxi speeder here as quickly as we could," Race answered. Though Elena was glad to see her family wasn't harmed by the blockade, the other five people patiently waiting behind them caught her attention. Wordlessly, the Lyrans moved aside, though Sirema stood beside Elena, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Vianne Banarecc stepped forward from the group, and for the first time, Elena noticed her purple-paneled R2 astromech Eewon keeping close on her heels.

"We all came as soon as we heard what happened," Vianne began quietly. Her voice intensified, though, as she continued. "Is there _anything_ we can do for you?"

The Gedalls and Trislenas looked intently at Elena, too, their expressions identically concerned as they awaited her response. In the face of their sincere willingness to help, Elena was rendered speechless. Mand quickly spoke up for her, though.

"We'll need someone to look after the Manor while we're gone."

"Of course," Sol Gedall answered immediately. "You won't have to worry about it at all." At his side, his wife Kander nodded, too, pledging her support.

Jethro Trislena spoke up next. "Annaliza and I will begin on your Retreat's restoration, as well."

Again wordless, Elena only nodded. The Rys'tihn Retreat had been damaged in an intense firefight between the Huxnel and her friend Kihara Marelleck who was trying to protect the Ghost Heirs Cade and Deilia Rys'tihn. Elena and Koril had decided to hold their wedding in the secluded, beautiful Retreat, but after blaster fire had nearly destroyed its interior, and now that Koril was gone, their wedding had been indefinitely postponed. With a heavy heart, she looked to Vianne again, who was ushering Eewon toward her and Mand. Shined and cleaned since she had last seen him, he rolled up in front of them and whistled a pleasant greeting.

"I want you to take him with you," Vianne said kindly. "He's been retired from active duty for a few years, but he still knows the _Celestia_ well."

Eewon beeped and whistled again, prompting Kaydee to step forward with an offer of her own.

"Mistress Elena, I, too, wish to accompany you. I am fluent in millions of languages, and I can translate for this eager astromech, as well as almost any other sentient life form we may encounter."

Elena still remained silent, and beside her, Mand nodded, again speaking up for her.

"Thank you, Kaydee," she said, then turned to the others, too. "Thank you all. Your support means so much to us."

"Please," Sol implored earnestly after a brief silence, "is there _anything_ else we can do?"

Finally finding her voice, Elena nodded, looking at both Sol and Kander. "Take care of my parents and my brother while they're here." Getting quick affirmations from the two, she turned to her family standing beside her. "You can stay here in the Manor as long as you want."

Sirema and Race exchanged concerned glances, but they both nodded after a moment.

"We'll stay until you get back," Sirema said with sad eyes, forcing Elena to look away. She met Sol's gaze again as he nodded understandingly, accepting her request.

Elena felt the mood of the room shift suddenly, though, as almost all of the Royals' expressions turned dark, focusing on someone behind her. She didn't need to look back to know that Rech Natiyr was approaching them.

The last the Royals had heard about Rech, they believed him a fallen Jedi, surrendered to the Dark Side. The expressions on their faces, though, indicated they were still unsure of how to react to him. They had known him at his best, a selfless, skilled healer, so learning of his turn had been hard for them to accept.

Rech continued to step towards them, and though Elena wasn't looking at him, she could tell his steps had slowed as he noticed the Royals' reactions.

"The storm has moved out," Rech began cautiously. "We're cleared to leave."

"We'll be there in a minute," Mand answered him calmly, looking to the Royals. "Thank you all, again, for your help. We'll keep you updated."

Each nodded and began to disperse, offering "good lucks" and "be carefuls" as they walked past. Sol and Kander stood behind the Lyrans, prepared to show them about the Manor once they finished their goodbyes.

Worried, Sirema tightly embraced Elena again, her voice shaky. "Please, _please_ be safe, dear. You've got a few long months left. Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Lyran," Mand offered with a wan smile. "I'll keep her in check."

At that, Sirema returned the smile shakily as she stepped back, nodding despite looking as if she could cry. The Gedalls quickly intervened, though, offering to take the three Lyrans to their rooms. As they were led away, Sirema kept glancing back with an anxious expression on her face, heightening Elena's own apprehension. Once they were around a corner, though, Elena released a light sigh, looking down at her stomach as she placed her hand on top of it. Somehow finding renewed strength in a faint kick she felt under her palm, she closed her eyes and drew in a long breath to focus herself.

"We've wasted enough time," Elena said bluntly, glancing at Rech and Mand beside her. "We need to get moving if we're going to find him."


	2. Chapter 2

Though he had made the jump to hyperspace from the Huxnel's Star Destroyer flagship the _Vandal_ several hours ago and was already thousands of lightyears away, Horatio Sheridan was beginning to feel anxious again. He needlessly sat at the small transport's controls as it soared through space, nervously tapping his fingers on the console. In the cabin behind him was a comatose Koril Rys'tihn, suffering intense, painful attacks every few minutes. The Huxnel had given him a virus, but it was more incapacitating than the ones Horatio had seen them use before. He had no idea how much longer the Paneau native was going to be able to survive, if he was even going to at all.

Horatio brought his hand to his temple in concern, glancing behind him at Koril lying on the bench. It could just as easily be him lying there in agony after all the sabotage he had dealt the Huxnel. Though his chest was still sore from his close call after contacting the New Republic, he had somehow managed to avoid further detection long enough to escape, toting Koril along in the bottom of a cargo container. Had they caught him...he didn't even want to imagine what they'd do to him, but he figured it'd be similar to what Koril was going through. Aside from death, there wasn't much worse the Huxnel bestowed on their captives and traitors than this custom-made virus.

Over the past few hours, Horatio had monitored Koril and checked his vital signs. Though his condition was stable and had changed little since they had left, Koril's irises were partially turned black. With each attack the virus deposited black specks, turning his once brown eyes into a strange, spotted mix. It wouldn't be too much longer before the brown was gone completely, and Horatio idly wondered if the color transformation was a countdown, a way to gauge just how much time Koril had left.

Staring at the floor in thought, Horatio shook his head as his eyes blurred out of focus suddenly. As he moved, though, his head instantly throbbed piercingly, nearly blinding him. Holding his head in his hands, he started to panic as he felt his whole body beginning to shake. His plan was backfiring; he wasn't going to make it.

While he could still see, he pulled the transport out of hyperspeed and searched the sensor display to determine where he was. He was still days away from where he needed to be, but he couldn't risk it. He had to stop. Punching in coordinates, he turned the transport around as he fired up the comm and sent a transmission request.

After a few worrying minutes, a small blue holo figure appeared on the console, crossing his arms as the image sharpened.

"Horatio," the Bith man began with an air of surprise and slight disdain. "I didn't think I'd ever be hearing from you again."

"I need a f-favor, Doc," Horatio replied quickly. His shaking was noticeable in his voice as he spoke, despite his best efforts to control it.

"Not interested," the holo answered darkly, but Horatio persisted.

"It's not for m-me, it's for someone else. I'm not going to mak-ke it to you, so I need you t-to meet me here," he said as he sent coordinates. "There's a man in my sh-ship with me who needs your help. The Huxnel infected him with s-something I've never seen bef-fore."

"Still not interested. I'm _not_ getting mixed up with them again."

"Dr. Vil, _please_," Horatio begged. "You're th-the only chance he's got. You'll find yourself in g-good standing with some Jedi if you s-save him."

At that, Dr. Vil paused as he seemed to consider the request, making Horatio hold his breath in anticipation. As the tense moments passed, Horatio felt his shaking worsening, his vision nearly blurred completely. The doctor finally sighed, releasing his rigid stance.

"I want your word this won't get back to the Huxnel."

Horatio nodded. "There's n-no way they can track m-me." He wrapped his arms around himself tightly, desperately trying to lessen his shaking. He couldn't fight it much longer.

"Alright," Dr. Vil agreed reluctantly. "I'll send my assistant to your location. But if he gets one, _one_ suspicious feeling, he's leaving you where you are."

"No t-tricks, Doc," Horatio assured him, and the holo nodded as it disappeared.

Trying to leave the cockpit, Horatio nearly fell to the floor, finding his legs numb. As he stumbled, something fell out of his pocket and clinked as it landed on the ship's durasteel floor, but focused on a datapad lying among discarded droid parts, he ignored it. He was hardly able to control his legs enough to step over to it, but finally close enough, he collapsed onto the floor on his side, reaching a trembling hand out to grab it. Though his vision was extremely blurry, he forced them to focus as he typed out instructions for the doctor. Just as he finished, he completely lost feeling in his hands, and the datapad fell and settled onto the floor beside his head.

* * *

The last to climb up the _Celestia'_s rear ramp while intently inspecting a hefty blaster she had been given, Mand Natiyr nearly ran into Elena and Rech, both of whom had stopped at the top. Holstering the blaster at her side quickly, she looked between them to see what had halted them.

A young, brown-haired man roughly their age stood in the _Celestia'_s main hold, smiling kindly at them. Though Mand didn't immediately recognize him, neither Rech nor Elena seemed alarmed, but rather waiting.

"I'm here on Deilia's behalf," the man explained to the three. "She's okay, but she still needs to rest." With a light smile, he looked at Rech. "She wanted me to thank you again, Rech, for what you did. I thank you, too. We're both _very_ grateful."

Though somewhat confused, Rech nodded politely. Mand was confused, too, clueless about whom he was talking, but the longer she looked at the man, the more familiar he seemed. She had to have met him at least once before, but where?

"Anyway," he said as he pulled a small device from a container at his feet, "she wanted you to have this, Elena." He held it up, handing it to her after a moment. "It's a transponder calibrated to detect your family's Crests. In your hand, it can catch a signal within about 50 kilometers, but hooked up to the _Celestia'_s sensors, you might get a few thousand kilometers. It's not much, but this way you'll at least know when you get close."

Elena turned the transponder over in her hands, looking it over numbly. Wordlessly she nodded her thanks as she looked back up him, and the young man continued.

"Our agents around the galaxy are keeping watch. We'll contact you immediately if we hear _anything_. We're going to find him, Elena," he said confidently, leveling an intense gaze at her, "I have no doubt."

From behind her, Mand squeezed Elena's shoulder, expressing her support, as well. Elena nodded only slightly, though, blankly focused on the floor. Looking at Elena, the young man's expression fell into a concerned frown, and he sighed lightly as he glanced between Rech and Mand.

"You three be careful," he warned earnestly. With a small nod, he stepped around them and exited the _Celestia_, casually strolling out of the hangar without direction. Mand exchanged a confused look with Rech, but Elena momentarily remained stoic.

Before Mand could say anything, Elena suddenly left Rech and Mand behind, making her way through the _Celestia_ with purpose, searching the cabin for something. Curious and concerned, Mand followed her, though she kept her distance.

"Elena," she began carefully, "who was that?"

Without looking back as she continued down a corridor leading to the yacht's lower level, Elena answered tiredly. "Long story, I'll explain later--there you are."

As Mand caught up, she watched as Elena briefly conversed with the astromech Eewon, who was in turn interpreted by Kaydee.

"He says he most definitely can install it, Mistress Elena," Kaydee reported as she turned to her. "He will get to work on it straight away."

"Once you connect it to the _Celestia'_s sensors, it can be easily disconnected and used by itself again, right?"

Eager, the droid whistled positively and extended a small mechanical arm from its body. After a brief hesitation, Elena placed the transponder in Eewon's grip, and he turned squarely in place, heading for the cockpit with Kaydee close in tow.

Mand watched Elena heave a heavy sigh, though she still stood in the middle of the corridor. As Mand stepped toward her, though, Elena snapped from her daze and looked up, leveling an intense gaze at her.

"Where are we going first? Where would they have gone to hide?"

Briefly stunned by the sudden change, Mand fumbled for something to say. "Well, I have a few places in mind, but it'll take a couple of days to get there." Seeing Elena's expression darken, Mand continued gently. "You understand that we have to proceed cautiously, right? There's no way this yacht can take four Star Destroyers head on, and if they think they're being followed, there's no Bothan in the galaxy that could find them. We _have_ to be careful, but that doesn't mean that I don't have a plan, okay? You trust me, don't you?"

At that, Elena closed her eyes and released a long, slow breath as Mand gripped her shoulders lightly.

"I do," Elena said sadly. "I'm sorry."

Mand pulled her friend into a tight embrace, knowing full well the anxiety she was feeling. Only after a few silent moments did Mand continue.

"I know it's hard," Mand whispered, "but you do need to take it easy. Your little one needs you right now. I already told you that nothing's going to stop me, so let me do this, okay?"

Stepping out of her embrace, Elena nodded with an appreciative gaze, though she was instantly distracted by something to her left. Mand looked, too, and saw Rech slowly approaching them, his expression calm.

"We're ready," he reported softly, and again finding purpose, Elena followed him back up to the cockpit with a swift stride. By the time Mand caught up again, both Rech and Elena were already seated at the controls and had powered up the engines, making quick work of the initiation sequences. Seeing Kaydee seated and secured in the cabin and Eewon stationed beside her, Mand sat, too. Within seconds, the _Celestia_ roared to life as she left the hangar and sped into space, leaving the dark, drenched city behind.

Once clear of the Paneau System, Mand stepped up behind Rech and leaned over his shoulder, keying in hyperspace coordinates and setting the nav computer to the task of calculating the jump. It beeped quietly after a few tense moments, and as Rech engaged the hyperdrive and stars began streaking past the viewport, Mand sighed and leaned against the console.

Elena was the first to break the silence. "How long is the first jump?"

"Seventeen hours," Rech answered quietly. He was staring hard at the controls, his shoulders rigid with tension. Mand felt her stomach tie in a knot, apprehensive as she realized his dilemma. After a few quiet moments, Mand caught Elena's gaze, and thankfully, Elena understood her expression.

"I'm...going to go lay down for a little while. I'm tired."

"Take Kaydee with you," Mand instructed gently. Though Elena initially began to protest, she stopped and nodded respectfully, leaving the cockpit with the talkative droid. As Mand watched the two disappear into one of the _Celestia'_s deluxe bedrooms, she moved slowly as she took Elena's seat beside Rech, swallowing as she watched him intently.

Long, silent moments passed before Rech even opened his mouth, escalating Mand's anxiety. Her hands were ice cold, folded tightly in her lap as she waited for her husband, her careworn companion to speak. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally drew in a long breath and spoke with his gaze still fixed on the controls in front of him.

"I was so sure that you'd never want to be that close to me ever again."

Resisting the urge to immediately tell him how wrong he was, Mand held her breath, allowing him to continue.

"I know you want to know what happened to me at Tarthos Industries, and I will tell you, but there are other things I want to say first." He paused, gathering his thoughts as he looked up and out the viewport at the streaks of light speeding by. "I've had a lot of time to think, but there's really only been one thing on my mind since I left you that day."

Slowly turning to meet her gaze, he looked at her with a defeated expression, his voice resigned to sorrow.

"There's no way I can ask forgiveness for what I did to you."

Shakily, Mand released the breath she had been holding, gazing deeply into his eyes as she was hardly able to force her voice to work.

"You don't have to."

As Rech's brows furrowed in confusion, Mand drew in a trembling breath, continuing. "I know _exactly_ what you went through. More than anybody, I know what that...suffocating, smothering pressure in your mind feels like. I spent four years under it. Your thoughts are no longer your own, clouded completely by the Dark Side and by their influence. You were not responsible for what you did."

Rech's expression darkened suddenly. "You didn't hurt me like I --"

"Yes, I did," Mand interrupted, her eyes sympathetic. "After you rescued me, I pushed you away, and I know that had to be extremely painful after all you went through to find me."

Processing what she had said, Rech looked to the floor as wounded memories surfaced in his eyes. Somehow finding the strength to, Mand continued.

"I know the Lightning was your doing, though." Rech looked up at her instantly, regret and fear saturating his expression. Mand gently shook her head, her eyes soft.

"But you had to. I could see it in your eyes...how much you wanted to believe me alive after my father had fed you lies. How else in that instant could you have known if I was really there?"

Still unwilling to forgive himself, Rech lowered his gaze again. Reaching a shaky hand across to him, she gently placed her palm at his jaw and turned his head to her, meeting his eyes with her own resolute.

"I cannot, I _will_ not fault you for what happened."

The sorrow in his expression remained, though. "But our connection..."

Again, Mand shook her head. "We can work on repairing it."

Casting his gaze down, an unworthy expression rolled over his face, prompting Mand to again turn his jaw up to look at her as she softened her voice even more.

"You are still my husband, and I still love you as much as I did before. _I will not leave you._"

Finally releasing a shaky breath of his own, Rech closed his eyes and lowered his head, bringing a hand up to the one Mand still had at the side of his face. After a moment, he turned his head slightly into her palm and kissed it lightly as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. With tears brimming in her eyes, she stood and stepped closer to him, cupping his face in both hands as she turned his head up to her, leaned in and kissed him sweetly.

Though their faces were still only inches apart, Rech opened his renewed eyes to meet Mand's, and seeing the transformation, she allowed a few tears to fall. He gently brushed them away, tracing her cheek with his fingertips.

"I missed you," he breathed, and as she hadn't been able to for several weeks, Mand smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

As Elena stepped around the main bedroom aboard the _Celestia_, she instantly knew that Koril had been its most recent occupant. A few of his spare uniforms were still hanging in the half-open closet, and she saw a pair of his boots seemingly carelessly tossed onto the closet's floor. As she stepped over to the closet, she heard Kaydee following her, but thankfully the droid was silent, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Longingly, Elena's eyes lingered on the uniform. She and Koril had last been aboard the _Celestia_ together just after she had learned of her pregnancy, but with a ship full of people and Koril at the controls, it had been easy for her to avoid him. Her decision to leave him that day, one of the worst mistakes of her life, haunted her as she turned from the closet and looked down at the empty bed. More than anything, she wanted those two long, lonely months back, but once again, she had let him down, and he was gone.

Though not tired, she lowered herself onto the bed, wrapping an arm around her stomach as she settled on her side onto the pillows. Despite the months it had been since the ship had been used, the sheets still smelled like him, making her sigh...

_"I don't feel anything."_

_"That's because he's resting, finally. He was very busy today."_

_"Well, can't you...wake him up, just a little?"_

_Elena rolled her eyes with a smile. "I guess..."_

_As Koril and Elena lay in bed together on a quiet night, Koril had his ear and his hand pressed lightly against her stomach, eagerly awaiting a response from their son inside her. It had been almost two months since she had returned to Paneau and to Koril after being kidnapped and injured by the Huxnel, and much to both her and Koril's relief, neither she nor her child had suffered any lasting damage. Four and a half months along, she was already showing, heightening Koril's excitement. _

_With her eyes closed in concentration, Elena gracefully waved a hand over her stomach, allowing a light, gentle tendril of the Force to sweep through the baby's mind, rousing him and making him kick. As she opened her eyes and met Koril's, she saw his pure joy, having felt the movement. Still with his head gently resting on her, he smiled infectiously, looking happier than she had ever seen him._

_"What did you do?" he asked, suddenly curious. She smiled and lifted her hand again, lightly touching a finger to Koril's forehead to do the same to him. _

_"This," she said as she sent a wisp of the Force through his mind, as well. He closed his eyes to experience it, taking in and releasing a long breath. As he looked back up at her, she ran a hand through his hair, smiling._

_"You'll have to teach me how to do that someday."_

_Elena nodded. "There are a lot of things I should teach you."_

_With little effort, he propped himself up off her, turning his body to lay on his stomach beside her with his upper body supported at his elbows, his curiosity piqued even more. "Like what? What's the most basic thing you could teach me?"_

_Briefly stumped, Elena furrowed her brows in thought. After a few moments, she returned her gaze to him, nodding. "Sensing other people around you." She smiled wanly, seeing his confused expression. "Every person, every living thing has a distinct life force, much like a personal signature. If you allow yourself to be open to those signatures and learn to distinguish them from others, you'll eventually be able to tell if someone is approaching and who is nearby. People you're around often will become familiar, and thinking the other way, you'll know if someone isn't who they say they are. Discerning that becomes a bit more tricky, but for the most part, it's an invaluable skill though it's still quite basic."_

_Koril nodded in understanding, mulling over his thoughts. "And you can...sense people's feelings, too?"_

_"To an extent. I can't single someone out of a crowd; I'm not strong enough for that. But I could tell you what the crowd is feeling in general. Now, one-on-one, that's a different story. I can tell if someone's even_ thinking _about lying to me."_

_Koril laughed. "Careful where you say that, or the Royal Guard might whisk you away to their Interrogation teams, and I'd never see you again."_

_Elena laughed, too, rolling onto her side facing him to get more comfortable in bed. She was tired, but she still had a lot on her mind. They had just begun their wedding plans for next month, opting for a small, intimate ceremony held in the picturesque Rys'tihn Retreat. There was still so much to do and decide on, and in such a short time. She hadn't even begun to think about furnishing the baby's room, and that was rapidly approaching, too..._

_"Elena?" _

_Finding that he had lowered himself down onto the bed with his head at the same level as hers, she met his eyes and sighed lightly, shaking her head._

_"I'm sorry, I'm just...anxious."_

_Already aware of what was bothering her, he propped himself up again, looking at her with his intense, sympathetic brown eyes. "Elena," he began gently, "you need to stop worrying. I've seen you with the Banarecc kids before. It was completely natural, and they absolutely adored you; they still do."_

_"But this is going to be so different..."_

_"Yes, it will be. But I have no doubt that you'll be a wonderful mother. If you even give him half the love and attention you gave the Banarecc kids..." he paused, lowering his voice, "he's going to be one lucky little boy."_

_At that, Elena smiled a little, reaching out to hold his hand. He tightly locked his fingers with hers, leaning closer to her and lowering his voice even more to barely above a whisper._

_"And we're going to do this together. I'm not going anywhere."_

_Closing her eyes, her smile broadened as she squeezed his hand briefly. "You better not," she said tiredly with an air of amusement, "because this is your fault."_

_Again, Koril laughed._ "My _fault? I'm pretty sure we're both equally to blame here." _

_Still with her eyes closed, Elena grinned. "You started it."_

_Surprised, she watched as Koril pulled her hand, still locked with his, up to his lips and kissed it, then held it against his cheek. His eyes looked tired suddenly, too, but his wan smile said otherwise. "You were cold."_

_"I'm always cold."_

_"But you've been warmer ever since."_

_Elena blinked, realizing he was right. She hadn't even noticed..._

_Koril shrugged casually. "Being observant is kind of part of my job description." After a few moments, he grinned suddenly. "So now I know what to do if you get too cold to sleep next to at night..."_

_"Koril!" she rebuked him with a laugh, pulling a pillow over his head. He laughed, too, and dug himself out from under it, stuffing it under his chest with his arms crossed over it. His eyes were playful as he leaned toward her, barely a breath between them..._

_On the table beside their bed, Koril's comlink beeped loudly, halting them both. Koril's expression fell instantly, and gazing into Elena's eyes, he briefly hesitated before he turned away from her and picked up the small device. He depressed its activator button, speaking into it as he turned over onto his back on the bed._

_"Rys'tihn."_

_"High Commander," came an officer's voice from the comlink, "we're getting reports of suspicious activity in the province of Forter Falls. Commander Jax and I thought it best that you be informed immediately, especially after the incident a few months ago."_

_Koril sat straight up in bed, suddenly looking troubled. "What kind of activity?"_

_"A number of security patrols have been reported missing from their posts, more than the occasional tardy check-in or unauthorized relocation. It's not an alarming number, Sir, but higher than normal."_

_"I'm on my way. Rys'tihn out." Quickly climbing out of bed, Koril grabbed a light uniform hanging in the closet and changed, pinning his rank badge on his shoulder almost as an afterthought. After holstering his blaster at his waist and stuffing his comlink in his jacket pocket, he whirled around to meet Elena, also dressed and prepared to go. She looked at him expectantly, and after a few tense moments, he gave in, nodding._

_"Might need your lie detector," he said resignedly. _

_She, too, nodded, taking his hand tightly in hers. Searching his eyes, she raised up on her toes to kiss him, finishing their earlier moment that had been interrupted. With their hands interlocked between them, they left the Manor together to investigate..._

Whether she had fallen asleep or simply slipped into a light meditation, she wasn't sure, but the sudden flashback to a month ago seemed as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. It wasn't until Kaydee stepped into her line of sight, bringing her back to the present, that she realized tears were streaming across her face, soaking the pillow under her head.

"Mistress Elena, are you alright?"

Vainly wiping at her face to dry it, Elena nodded as she sat up, sniffling a few times as she felt her nose beginning to run. Her head ached horribly the longer she sat up, indicating that she had cried for a decent amount of time. She needed to, though; the release would help her focus later.

Not convinced, Kaydee remained at Elena's side, watching her intently. Elena tried to smile for the vigilant droid.

"Really, I'm okay, Kaydee."

"You are worried about Master Koril?"

Releasing a shaky breath, Elena nodded, looking down from Kaydee's gaze. It was both weird and strangely relieving to share her concerns with a droid...

"Oh, you needn't worry about him, Mistress Elena. Master Koril has been in far more dire situations than this, and he has always found a way out, whether by his own cleverness, or by the helpfulness of his friends."

Elena nodded sadly, having been by his side through some of his recent "dire situations," and having dealt him one herself. There was only person in his life who hadn't hurt him, betrayed him, left him...

"Kaydee," Elena began carefully, "does Koril ever...talk to you?"

The droid cocked her head to the side slightly, inquisitive. "I am not sure that I understand what you are asking."

"You know, just talk? Nothing important, nothing official, just...two friends, talking?"

Righting herself, Kaydee nodded. "Oh, of course, Mistress Elena, quite often. As I have known Master Koril from the day he was born, he always makes time to discuss his day, and I bring him up to date on any events or information that he may have missed."

"But did he ever talk about other things? Like, his personal feelings?"

"Oh, frequently."

At that, though, the usually talkative droid became silent, again tilting her head to the side, curious. Understanding, Elena smiled as she stood, stepping over to Kaydee.

"You're a good friend to him, Kaydee, the best kind of friend."

"I do beg your pardon, Mistress Elena, but it is not my friendship that Master Koril treasures most." Furrowing her brows at the droid, Elena crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a sudden chill run up her spine as Kaydee continued. "I believe it is safe for me to say that since the day you and Master Koril met two years ago, he has not failed to mention you once during our daily discussions."

Despite still fighting an occasional sob, Elena swallowed dryly, releasing a shaky breath. "Not once? Even after I left?"

"On the contrary; that was when he spoke of you the most."

A few silent tears rolled down her cheeks, but smiling bittersweetly, Elena put a hand on the droid's chrome shoulder. "Thank you, Kaydee." Kaydee nodded, and after a moment, Elena continued. "Maybe we should start having our own 'daily discussions.'"

Again, Kaydee nodded. "I would very much enjoy that, Mistress Elena. I was only able to learn a very minimal amount about you from your family's droids on Hoth when you, Master Koril and I traveled there a few months ago, and I would like to know one thing right now, if I may."

Curious, Elena nodded. "Sure, what is it?"

Kaydee righted herself, pleading with her body language as well as with her tone of voice.

"Mistress Elena, by my circuits, _what_ is a _wampa_?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I heard and saw everything that was happening," Rech began sadly, "but it seemed like I wasn't participating, I was just watching."

Mand and Elena sat beside each other, arms locked together, on a plush, comfortable sofa in the _Celestia'_s main conference room. The room was small and intimate but luxuriously adorned: a few white stone statues lined the walls atop black pedestals, deep violet curtains were gracefully draped over the starports, and numerous benches and chairs about matched the curtains with soft, delicate coverings. Everything about the room mirrored the opulence of the Dalon Palace and the Rys'tihn Manor; the _Celestia_, like anything else owned by a member of one of the Royal Families, was majestic.

Rech sat opposite the other two, his upper body leaned forward and supported on his knees by his elbows. His gaze was cast to the floor, but he knew that both Mand and Elena were watching him intently as he drew in a long breath and continued his story.

"The Nerezzas were quick to overpower me. After they took us from that platform, their attempts to turn me began.

"They tortured me first. After about an hour of electricity coursing through me, I was weak enough for them to easily warp my thoughts." He raised his head slightly, glancing at them as he hesitated briefly. "They somehow made me believe that everything had been orchestrated...by you, Mand."

Neither Mand's nor Elena's expression changed, leading Rech to believe that they had expected to hear such an explanation from him. Mand, too, had encountered the two Nerezzas, Xendar and Johann, on the platform that day, and surely she had shared her experience with Elena.

It had been more than five months since the deadly confrontation, and Rech had left them after Morden Tarthos had been defeated, even though he had wanted nothing more than to comfort Mand. She had been forced to kill her father to break his hold over them all, and the release from Morden's control made Rech realize what all he had done. In his shame, he fled, leaving Mand behind without an explanation, until now...

"Once Morden was dead, I was suddenly aware of all that had happened, what I had done. I had killed the Nerezzas, I had severed my connection with Mand, and I had tortured her in turn, all on Morden's command. I don't know how, but it all made sense, what I was doing. That was what disturbed me the most. I believed I was acting in self-defense, that the death and pain I was causing was actually justified. Morden convinced me I was doing what no one else would, and it needed to be done to protect innocent people.

"I guess from a certain point of view, he was right, but the way I went about it, the power I drew on was dark, angry, and evil, not righteous. That's when I knew I had some...rehabilitation to do, so I left. I couldn't face you, either of you, until I knew I was no longer a threat.

"I spent the first few days wandering the city, keeping to myself in the abandoned Underlevels. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat... It wasn't until I saw my own rough, ragged reflection in a transparisteel window a week later that I became determined to right myself. No sooner had I decided than Noor's Force Spirit appeared at my side."

Finally responsive, Mand and Elena's expressions fell, seemingly still saddened by the loss. Elena looked more troubled, prompting Mand to wrap an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. Seeing their reaction, Rech refrained from asking about Master Noor's death until later.

Swallowing dryly, he continued. "He said he had been waiting for me, waiting to see me change. He was willing to help me, but he wanted me to be ready. Only after I hit bottom did I realize that I _was_ ready, and we began my restoration that day."

"Mostly he guided me through meditation, and he never pushed me. His patience was incredible. He never left my side, even when I was most angry with myself.

"He worked with me for weeks, and it was almost like I was being trained all over again, like I was a student back at the Academy. At first it made me angry and I backtracked, but Noor wouldn't let me fail. It took months, but once I got close to being my old self, he sent me on one final test to make sure I had properly relearned my powers. He sent me to the _Vandal_ to rescue a young pregnant woman I had never before met."

"Deilia," Elena answered quietly to his curious expression. Though he didn't ask, Elena continued.

"She's Koril's twin sister."

Both Rech and Mand exchanged confused glances. As far as Rech knew, Koril had been an only child, the last surviving of the three in his family. Mand looked just as surprised as he, and again, seeing their expressions, Elena sighed lightly and began explaining, her gaze fixed on the floor.

"The Paneau Royal Families have this system in place that would protect them if all family members were wiped out or lost somehow. They're called Ghost Heirs, because they live in secret. No one outside the families knows about them. But they operate like...spies, or intelligence agents, protecting their Known Heirs by any means possible. Deilia is the Rys'tihn Tyro Ghost Heir; she was selected when they were born, but Koril was told she had been stillborn. He didn't even know about her until a few months ago."

Looking back up at Rech, Elena's expression softened. "I, too, am grateful for what you did for Deilia. She's bearing the next generation's Ghost Heir...so I don't have to."

Without intending to, Rech's eyes fell on Elena's swollen stomach. Her pregnancy had been a complete surprise to him, and he had only found out when she met them on Paneau after escaping the _Vandal_. As Elena ran her hand over belly, Rech looked back up at her face and was confused at seeing her smiling the slightest bit.

"I think we met the new Rys'tihn Heir's father earlier before we left Paneau. He must be a Ghost Heir of another family."

Beside her, Mand nodded. "I _knew_ I'd seen him before. He was with Deilia when they rescued Cordira from my father's men."

Rech's heart skipped a beat, leaving him breathless. "...Cordira was taken?"

Both Mand and Elena leveled somber expressions at him, nodding as Elena informed him of all that had happened during his descent to the Dark Side: Ri and Cordira's kidnapping, the joint effort of the Banareccs and the Ghost Heirs to recover them, the discovery of Mand's discarded body, and everything else that led up to the climactic confrontation at Tarthos Industries. The only thing she failed to mention, though, that left Rech confused...was Noor's death. It was eating at him; he needed to know how the powerful Jedi Master, one of his closest allies and friends, had perished in the midst of their turmoil. He couldn't stand Mand and Elena's silence on it any longer. As he drew in a slow breath, he straightened himself from his hunched position and faced them properly, his hands calmly resting atop his thighs. They looked anxious, but at the same time, expectant.

"How did Master Noor die?"

Mand was the first to begin responding, but before she could even form a word, an alarm up in the cockpit beeped, indicating their imminent drop from hyperspace. Her expression neutralized instantly, and with a quick glance at the two, she stood and made her way to the front of the ship. Both silent, Rech and Elena followed, stepping up behind Mand at the controls as a dumpy, dirty, and dilapidated planet appeared in front of them.

* * *

"Sump," Mand said grimly as she navigated the _Celestia_ to the surface. A thick, hazy fog encircled the ship, swirling dark, heavy dust around the transparisteel windows. As they broke through the upper atmosphere, the dense fog dissipated, revealing a heavily industrialized planet in severe disrepair. Old mines and factories sprawled for hundreds of kilometers in every direction and spewed toxic fumes into the thoroughly polluted air, coating the already filthy structures in an ever-renewing layer of grime. If there was any planet that would deter even the most adventurous of space travelers, as well as pursuing enemies or authorities, from visiting, Mand thought, Sump would be it.

The neglected Outer Rim planet was hardly populated, far from any tourist destination or busy trade spine, the perfect place for a Huxnel base. The harsh environment made life in the base difficult, but thankfully Mand hadn't spent much time there. It wasn't the first place she suspected they'd have retreated to, and she knew it had long since been abandoned, but it was closest to Paneau. She faintly hoped it had some kind of secret to share...

"What a dump," Elena said with distaste behind her. Mand nodded, guiding the ship to a landing area far removed from the nearest operating mine. As the _Celestia_ powered down, Mand stood quickly and rummaged through a nearby storage compartment.

"The atmosphere is toxic, so we'll need breath masks until we get down into the base." She turned to Rech and Elena, handing them each one, but she stopped at Elena, sharing an intense gaze with her. "You need to be _especially_ careful. Even a small leak in your tubing could cause a lot of trouble."

Though Elena nodded confidently, it did nothing to ease Mand's anxiety. It was dangerous enough traversing the hostile, unforgiving landscape to enter a base once occupied by the Huxnel, but bringing Elena along was that much more hazardous. Aware of her resolve to find Koril, though, Mand had to yield, if only for Elena's sense of pride.

As she tightened the breath mask's strap to fit her, Mand turned from the cockpit and was immediately met by the two droids. Kaydee greeted her politely, but Mand's interest was in the astromech beside her.

"Eewon, I think I may need your help with the systems here. Are you equipped for some traveling?"

The droid whistled in agreement, prompting an unnecessary translation from Kaydee.

"He says he is more than willing to journey with you, Masters Jedi. To where are we venturing?"

"Sorry," Mand said as she tugged her breath mask over her head to hang around her neck, "you're not coming Kaydee. I don't think you'd be able to...keep up, where we're going."

"But Mistress Mand!" Kaydee protested. "How will you communicate with this astromech? I, too, am willing to travel, and--"

"Kaydee," Elena stopped her sternly, "you're not going. Stay here with the ship."

Though the droid tried to protest further, another look from Elena silenced her and reluctantly, she stepped back, allowing the four to leave. Eewon, however, beeped triumphantly as he rolled past them back up into the cockpit, extending a small mechanical arm underneath the console. After a few moments of disconnecting wires and giving orders to the ship's computer via another extension out of the droid's torso, Eewon reversed and returned to them, extending to Elena the specially calibrated transponder. Elena took it and looked it over, but quickly released a disappointed sigh as it remained silent and showed no signs of detecting a Rys'tihn Crest nearby. Mand put a hand on her shoulder, though, trying unsuccessfully to raise her spirits.

"We've got a long way to go before it'll pick up a signal, if there even is one, inside this base."

Elena's expression neutralized, but surprising Mand, she stuffed the transponder in her pocket, settled the breath mask over her face, and walked with purpose toward the _Celestia'_s rear ramp. Concerned, Rech stepped up beside Mand, lowering his voice.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, letting her come?"

"No," Mand sighed, "but she won't stay put." Raising her soft eyes to him, she quieted her own voice. "Nothing stopped you, either."

"I only had to worry about myself. This situation is very, very different."

"I know," she said sadly, "it's stupid, and it's dangerous. But she knows her body, she knows her skills and her limitations... We just have to be vigilant."

Rech sighed, too, resigning though he still opposed it. Sympathetic to his conflict, Mand reached a hand up to his face and ran her fingers down his jaw lightly, making him close his eyes.

Before Elena had reemerged from her room earlier to talk, Rech and Mand had spent the time together in complete silence, simply holding each other. They still had a lot to work through, but happy to just have him back, Mand eagerly began the healing process.

Opening his eyes, Rech pulled his breath mask over his face and waited for Mand to do the same. Once she had it secured and got it working, she took Rech's hand in hers tightly, then the three approached the rear hatch, preparing to meet Sump's unfriendly atmosphere.


	5. Chapter 5

The three-hour trek over Sump's barren landscape was just as terrible as Mand remembered, though they were lucky to be traveling at night when the temperature fell to bearable ranges. The thick atmosphere was still as dangerous as it had been, and Mand's eyes hadn't stopped watering since they had left the safety of the Celestia. They only had a few more kilometers to go, though. After glancing behind her at Elena to make sure she was still okay and that Eewon was keeping up, Mand pushed forward, climbing through a rocky pass.

Over the umpteenth small hill, Mand finally saw the base's entrance just under a dark outcropping far in the distance. She stopped briefly, searching the surrounding area as best she could for any activity. Seeing none, she waved the others over, pointing out the base's door. Both Rech and Elena nodded in understanding as she looked them over.

To Mand's relief, neither was short of breath, nor did they appear tired. The excursion had been long and trying, but they both were handling it well. With her own strength renewed in the Force, she continued on, leading them down the hill.

As they approached the base from the side, coming up on a solid wall of rock that towered several meters overhead, Mand began to realize that the first large airlock door was wide open, discouraging her. It wasn't a good sign...

Elena's firm grip on Mand's arm stopped her, turning her back to face her friend. Though her expression was unreadable, Elena spoke angrily with the silent sensor in her hand.

"I thought you said this was a Huxnel base."

Mand nodded cautiously, which only escalated Elena's anger.

"He's not here! _No one_ is!"

Expecting her reaction, Mand tried to think of another way to answer her. Nothing came to her, though, and glancing at Rech briefly, she kept her voice as calm as she could through the breath mask.

"I know. I didn't expect anyone to be."

Elena's fury escalated instantly. "_What_! Why are we wasting so much time here, then?? We need to be looking for those Star Destroyers! They're not here! This is pointless..."

"Elena," Mand said as she stopped her from turning around, "listen to me. Yes, this is an abandoned base, but we're here for a reason. The Huxnel wouldn't have taken Koril anywhere they knew I would be able to lead you to. It hasn't been long since they left this base, so we're here to search for clues they may have left behind that could tell us where they are now. I know it's not the direct way you want to go about this, but we have to be careful. They _can't_ know we're on their trail."

Though Elena didn't release her tense stance, Mand was at least relieved to see the anger dissipate from her eyes somewhat. But after a moment, both her and Elena's attention was diverted as Eewon rolled past them, beeping and whistling positively. He disappeared into the open airlock, and within a few seconds, the large outer door groaned as it slowly closed. Alarmed, Mand rushed over to the door with Elena and Rech close behind, but it sealed before she could reach it. The loud noise of rushing air echoed out from the airlock, and beside Mand, Rech drew his lightsaber as the doors slowly began reopening. Mand put a hand on his arm to calm him, though, as Eewon rolled up to them, again whistling excitedly. Mand was confused at first, but as Eewon reversed and appeared to invite them inside, she understood.

"The airlock still works," she deduced, and the droid beeped affirmatively. Cautiously, Mand stepped inside, and Rech and Elena followed just as carefully. Eewon rolled over to a small computer terminal in the wall and extended his scomp link into it, turning it as his domed head swiveled back to the three and beeped consolingly. As the doors closed behind them and sealed out any remaining ambient light, Mand pulled a glowrod off her belt and powered it on. Beside her, Rech did the same, still with his lightsaber in hand.

A quick blast of air brought welcome relief, and even though her breath mask had been working perfectly, Mand felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest. Though Rech shook his head at her, Mand pulled her mask off her face and drew in a long breath, testing the air. The purified air was stale and dry, but at least it wasn't toxic. Rech watched her warily, but he, too, pulled his off and helped Elena do the same.

As the interior airlock doors opened, Mand held her breath anxiously, unsure what was left of the base, if anything. Eewon whistled and disengaged the terminal, rolling out in front of them and leading them inside.

A dark, dirty hallway took them deeper into the ground and went on for what seemed like forever. Eewon shined a beacon behind himself on the ragged, rocky floor they were walking on, even though Mand's glowrod was working well enough. The droid was exceptionally helpful already, but Mand knew they were approaching a very long, deep problem...

Finally reaching the end of the hallway, they came upon a large, cavernous gorge that plunged downward for what looked like a dozen kilometers. A lighted, spiraling durasteel staircase attached to the rocky walls descended down into the depths, but in more than one spot, the beams looked as though they would crumble with a light breeze passing through.

Rech stepped up beside Mand and looked down the yawning chasm, then leveled a concerned gaze at her.

"I'm beginning to side with Elena, Mand. Are you sure all this effort is going to be worth it?"

Mand nodded. "They've been sloppy before, and having Eewon with us should be helpful, too. He might be able to get the computer systems back online to tell us something."

Behind them, Eewon beeped in agreement, but Elena's bitter tone quieted him quickly.

"How do you plan on getting _us_ down there, much less him?"

Mand did her best to not look hurt, instead focusing on their difficult descent they had before them. She answered after a moment of contemplation, keeping her voice confident. "The three of us will go down the staircase carefully, and once we reach the bottom, we'll lower Eewon down the center of the shaft together."

Rech still looked wary, but Elena had at least cooled a little. After a few moments they both nodded and approached the staircase, though Rech stopped them, clipped his lightsaber back to his belt, and looked back.

"I'll go first. Keep back a ways, just in case."

Mand and Elena nodded, and as Rech began the descent, Mand glanced at Eewon at her side. The droid whistled and rolled back, obediently staying put.

The wide stairs beneath them swayed and groaned with the weight they hadn't had to bear for a long time, but Mand was surprised they had gotten so far down without any serious problems. They had less than a fourth of the way to go, though, when a stair plate fell out from underneath Rech's feet up ahead.

Mand's heart stopped instantly, but reacting quickly, Rech caught himself with one hand on a rail secured to the wall. Dropped from his hand as he grasped for the rail, his glowrod fell hundreds of meters to the bottom of the shaft below, shattering into pieces and splattering its glowing liquid all over the rocky floor. Though she, too, was nervous and wanted to pull Rech to safety, Mand had to hold Elena by the shoulders to keep her from going any further in case there were more unsafe steps. Having to watch him struggle on his own, Mand could hardly control her own shaking.

After several intense moments, Rech finally was able to grip the rail with both hands and pull himself back up onto the staircase, making slow, careful, deliberate moves as he tested the strength of the surrounding stairs. He stood for several seconds on one stair, his hands tightly gripping the rail behind his back, as he forced his own breathing to calm. Looking at both Mand and Elena, he extended a hand to them, inviting them forward.

"Slowly," he warned, and Mand reluctantly released Elena to allow her to navigate the stairs. As Elena reached Rech, though, Mand began to feel the entire section of stairs under her buckling. Rech and Elena only noticed after the durasteel beams began to whine and creak, but by the time they had started to react, the section split behind her and dropped backwards.

Desperately grabbing for something, Mand somehow caught the broken staircase's outside railing, though it deeply sliced her arm in the process. She was dangling perilously over the stairs below, at least 50 meters down, and she could hardly think. The longer she held on, the more the stairs pulled from the wall...

"Mand!!" Rech yelled over the railing from further down the staircase. "Hold on, I'm going to lift you back up!"

But even more stairs pulled from the wall, widening the gap and weakening the beams further down the way. She couldn't wait any longer--she was putting her friends in more danger. Without a word, she released her grip on the rail, and fell to the stairs far below.

* * *

"_MAND_!!"

Though he was too late to stop her fall entirely, Rech frantically tried to wrap some kind of Force grip around her to at least slow her acceleration. As she hit the durasteel stairs below, though, a sickening feeling grabbed him and threatened to paralyze him. Compelling himself out of his shock, he couldn't move fast enough to get to her. Each step seemed agonizingly slow, as he still had to be cautious of weak stairs under his feet. He thought he'd never get to her, making his way down the spiraling steps in his stunned stupor.

Finally reaching her, he carefully tested out the stairs about her, making sure they could handle double the weight they were already supporting. When they made no sound, he quickly knelt beside her and looked her over, breathless.

Unconscious and bleeding, Mand only moved to breathe, albeit shallowly. She was sprawled on two stairs, having landed mostly on her side on one as her arms dangled over the step below. Fear was beginning to grip him, but reaching deep within himself, he closed his eyes and drew on the Force to begin healing her as he gently placed a hand on her head.

Force Healing had always been his strongest skill since he was a young student, but her injuries tested his fiercest resolve, and remaining focused had never been harder. He couldn't lose her, not right now, not like this...

Even in his concentration, he heard Elena approaching from the stairs above, as they began to sound just like the others had before they gave way. As much as he needed to tend to every one of her wounds right then and there, he knew the danger of further stair collapses was far greater. Scooping her up into his arms as carefully as he could, he stood with her and cradled her gently, then made the remaining descent with cautious steps. Though it felt like a never-ending spiral, he only had a few dozen more steps, and they'd be at the bottom.

Elena followed closely behind, and as soon as she, too, made the last step to the shaft's rocky floor, she immediately swept up to Rech's side, firmly gripping Mand's gashed arm to slow the bleeding.

"Over here," she directed to a relatively smooth area of the ground, and agreeing, Rech quickly followed and knelt to lay Mand down gently, taking care to keep her head from moving too much. Elena knelt down beside her, too, still tightly gripping her wounded arm. Rapidly tugging his outer jacket off, he balled it up lightly and carefully tucked it under Mand's neck and head, supporting both. She was still unconscious, and was swiftly becoming pale.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Elena asked shakily. Rech only looked up at her, leveling an intense gaze at her.

"Help me," he pleaded. "Do whatever you can, I don't care, just focus on something."

With scared eyes, Elena nodded. "Her arm." Rech nodded, too, and again placed a hand on Mand's head. Resuming his work, he fell even deeper into the Force, drawing on every last fiber, every remaining bit of energy in his being to heal her, save her. Every passing moment was sheer torture, and as he felt her beginning to slip away, he fought even harder, his whole body shaking with the effort.

He wasn't going to last long in that state, but more than anything, he had to prove to her, to himself, that he was worthy of his second chance. Wholly embracing the most quintessential power of the Light Side of the Force, he channeled everything he had relearned in the past few months into this one desperate struggle, determined to bring her back.


	6. Chapter 6

Though he had long since lost feeling, Horatio could somehow tell that he was still shaking. Curled up on his side on the floor, he couldn't move or see, but he could still hear everything that had gone on.

The small Huxnel transport he had stolen roared and groaned as he presumed it was finally being towed down to Umgul's surface by Nimier, Dr. Vil's assistant. Horatio had never met him, but Dr. Vil had mentioned him before, the last time Horatio had dealt with the Doctor. They had parted on...less than amiable terms, but at least Dr. Vil had agreed to help him once again. Time was running out for Koril, and maybe even for him, too.

The ship's noise subsided as it had broken through the atmosphere, but within a few minutes, the sound returned as the engines prepared to land. Without warning, though, they cut out suddenly, sending them into a very brief free fall. The ship met uneven ground with a mighty lurch, sending Horatio against the rear ramp. He couldn't stop himself, though, and he hit the durasteel door hard, along with several loose pieces of equipment about the cabin. After a few moments, the ramp clicked and whined as it began to lower, opened by Nimier...or at least he hoped. He felt a sense of dread take over him, though, as he heard a gruff voice instead, one he _definitely_ did not want to hear while he was incapacitated.

"Ohh, Zanti, the promotions we're going to get," said a malicious voice Horatio recognized as his absolute least favorite person, Occar, one of the Huxnel's hotshot fighter pilots. But, Zanti...?

"Is he alive? You may as well have shot down the ship yourself, as nice a landing you gave it."

It _was_ her. Her voice was cold and hard, as it had been when he had first met her a year ago, but over time he had softened her, at least while she wasn't on duty. She had a front she kept up while with her squadmates, but Horatio had gotten through it and seen her beauty beneath her icy exterior...

"He's fine," Occar answered with little care. "Besides, Azira wants him dead, anyway." Two pairs of boots clicked up the ramp around his head, one stepping just beside him.

"No, she wants him in agony. Dr. Kopa said the new strain is re--"

Zanti stopped abruptly, and the boots about his head quickly stepped away into the ship.

"He _did_ break him out!" Occar said irately. Horatio surmised they had found Koril in the cabin. "Azira is going to torture him to death _herself_! She won't spare any expense, and -- Zanti, what are y--"

A sudden blaster shot echoed out of the ship, followed quickly by a heavy thud. Blast it, if he could only see, move...

Quick steps approached him, then he heard Zanti's voice close to him, speaking softly and with care.

"Horatio...you're insane. You've either got one sick deathwish...or you're not really one of us."

She stepped away from him, and he heard her struggle to drag away something heavy, Occar's body, maybe. She returned to Horatio after a moment, and again she struggled, tugging him somewhere. She stopped suddenly, though, taking in a quick, surprised breath. A strange silence was finally broken by an unfamiliar, quiet male voice.

"Who are you?"

Zanti's voice became cold again. "Someone you don't want to interrupt. Who are _you_?"

The other man's voice was still timid, unsure of how to respond to such a challenge.

"I'm here for him, and for someone else inside that ship."

"Why?"

"I'm supposed to take them back with me to treat them. How are you associated with them?"

Zanti hesitated a brief moment. "I'm here to help them, too."

The other was quiet for a long while, but finally he spoke. "Okay, but hand me your blaster. You're coming with me in my ship."

* * *

As Elena released Eewon from her invisible grip and set him down on the shaft's uneven ground, the weight of the heavy droid made a loud thud that echoed up the rocky walls. He had a hard time rolling and keeping his wheels in contact with the floor, but he eventually made his way over to the locked door that separated them from the rest of the abandoned base.

Still tending to Mand, Rech remained knelt at her side, having moved little since he began. The minutes ticked by agonizingly, and Elena hardly felt Mand's life force improve at all. But interested in exploring the base to see if there were any medical supplies left behind, Elena brought Eewon down to them. As he turned his scomp link in the door's frame, it clicked and whined as it unlocked and swept open, revealing a long corridor, much like the one high above them at the top of the shaft. Unsure of what she was going to encounter, she pulled her lightsaber off her belt and began down the corridor with Eewon rolling beside her.

Before they had gotten too far, Eewon beeped and stopped, projecting a small holo map in front of him. Confused at first, Elena finally realized he was showing her a layout of the underground base.

"Do they have a medical room of some kind, someplace they'd keep supplies?"

After a brief moment, Eewon beeped positively, then the holo map blinked and a red line appeared in the layout, snaking through the base to a small room near the back. Of course, Elena thought, annoyed.

"Okay, lead the way, quickly."

Beeping again, Eewon rolled ahead, taking her through the base.

Turning the corner, the hallway opened up to a compact complex, full of workstations and consoles, with comm stations congregated in the middle and centered around one main screen. The equipment and computers looked well-maintained despite their apparent age and recent neglect. The Huxnel's offensives were almost military-like in precision, and they were obviously very resourceful, judging by their ability to amass large numbers and then completely disappear just as quickly. They post-dated the formation of the Empire, and they seemed to borrow heavily from their organizational methods and technology. She guessed many of them may even be former Imperials, drawn to the criminal lifestyle after the dissolution of the majority of the Empire. They were ruthless, but they were clever enough to have survived this long without being stopped by galactic governments. Hopefully, Elena thought, they'd be permanently stopped soon.

As Elena passed a comm panel in the middle of the complex, it beeped loudly, startling her. Curious, she stopped and approached the console as Eewon rolled up beside her. Seeing her interest, Eewon put in his scomp link and worked for a few moments before the panel lit up and flashed, then released a noisy, static-filled transmission into the air. Elena could hardly understand more than a few words, but she listened intently, trying to make out the message.

"--to Adm-ev--...-as planned-...-eeting locat-...-own Regions, but be w--...Chiss feel--oached. Reque--ove to ano--oser to Core."

Elena blinked, trying to process what she heard.

"Eewon, can you clean that up at all?"

The droid turned his domed head back and forth while giving her a low beep. Elena furrowed her brows, still determined.

"Okay, well, how much can you do with their systems?"

Eewon turned his scomp link again, and within seconds, the entire room lit up and all the consoles powered on. Every system was online once again, and even a soft breeze began circulating through the room, bringing in newer, clean air. Immediately, Elena panicked, worried about security systems he might have powered up, as well.

"Okay, you've made your point. Just keep environmental and the comm systems going. Everything else isn't needed..."

Whistling, Eewon complied, dimming the lights down as the majority of the consoles went dark. Elena looked down at the console in front of her, and saw that Eewon had displayed a message on it. As she read it, her eyes lit up.

"You can do that?"

Again, Eewon gave a high pitched beep, turning the scomp link a few times before displaying a new message for Elena. She felt her pulse quicken in her amazement.

"Then get everything you can: coordinates, security codes, any transmissions received recently, anything we could use. I'm going to find those medical supplies."

Eewon whistled as Elena left him, continuing on through the complex to the room he had pointed out to her. It didn't take her long to find it, and though she expected to find it locked, the door opened with one button. Unfortunately, as she stepped in and looked around, she found it to be less than minimally stocked, dampening her spirits. She quickly rummaged around, at least finding a few transparent containers of bacta and bactade, and some bandages. Surely Rech could handle Mand's arm wound, but unable to find anything else helpful, Elena gathered as much as she could into her arms and returned to Rech with Eewon close in tow.

She knelt beside Mand carefully, having to put extra effort into balancing herself on the way down with the supplies in her arms and her expanded midsection. As she set the bacta containers down, Rech finally opened his eyes and looked at her, sitting back on his feet as he removed his hand from Mand. He breathed heavily but slowly, beads of sweat trickling from his forehead down his face from the exertion. His eyes looked exhausted, too, and Elena held her breath as she waited for him to speak.

"I think I've...repaired the worst damage... I'm leaving her unconscious for now, though...to let her brain heal on its own."

"This was all I could find," Elena reported sadly, showing him the bacta. Rech nodded and took a container, holding it up to the light from the hallway to inspect it. Deciding it was good enough to use, he opened it and leaned over Mand once again, preparing to apply it to her arm.

"Have those bandages ready," he instructed quietly. Elena complied wordlessly, and as he applied the salve to Mand's jagged gash, Elena wrapped it up quickly, locking in the healing bacta. Concerned for her friend, she almost forgot what else she had discovered inside the complex.

"Eewon was able to get complete access to the computer systems here," she told Rech as she looked back up at him, barely masking her excitement. "He downloaded coordinates and codes, anything he could that will help us find them, and he played a recent transmission broadcast to their network. Though it was choppy, it sounds like they may be in the Unknown Regions."

Though still exhausted, Rech looked confused. "He got into their systems...just like that? No security?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know, I didn't ask. But we should be able to find them easily, now that we have their transmission frequencies, the locations of their other bases, their security codes... Rech," she said with bated fervor, "_we can find them._"

Still wary, Rech cast a perplexed glance at Eewon before he sighed and looked back at Elena, nodding. With renewed hope, Elena returned her gaze to Mand, putting a hand on her bloodstained shoulder. She could tell that her friend's life force had improved drastically, thanks to Rech's impassioned efforts. Her expression fell, though, as she looked up at the dangerous journey they were facing, ascending the same decrepit stairs to the top of the shaft. Rech seemed to be thinking the same as he began shaking his head.

"There has to be another way out of here."

Silent until he anticipated being needed, Eewon beeped and whistled as he rolled closer to them, getting their attention. He projected the same holo map of the complex he had shown Elena earlier, but this time a small red dot ascended from the far end of the schematic. It was a few moments before Elena realized that Eewon _was_ showing them a secondary exit route...

"More stairs?" she asked apprehensively. For once glad to hear a negative beep, Elena watched Eewon turn his domed head.

"A turbolift?" Rech asked just as hesitantly. Both Rech and Elena released relieved sighs as Eewon whistled excitedly. "In working order?" Again, Eewon beeped positively.

Rech nodded, looking over at Elena. "Bring the rest of those bacta cans; we might need them later. Let's get back up to the _Celestia_. The sooner we get off this rock, the better."

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Elena brought her breath mask around from behind her and affixed it to her face, tightening it against her nose and mouth as she helped Rech do the same for Mand. Once he had his in place, too, he carefully gathered Mand up into his arms again, cradling her gently against him as he stood. Elena quickly grabbed the bacta canisters and stood, as well, staying close to Rech. Feeling the child within her protest to her sudden movement, though, she stopped and glanced back briefly to make sure Eewon was keeping up on the rocky, uneven floor as they entered the complex, on their way back to Sump's hostile surface.


	7. Chapter 7

As Mand slowly came around, she heard herself moan quietly before she realized why. Her head was pounding fiercely, but thankfully as she opened her eyes she found herself in a dim room that didn't strain her eyes further. She looked over to see Elena seated beside her, watching her with concern.

"Hey," Mand greeted her with a weak smile. Elena's expression didn't change, though, and her response was short.

"Hey."

Momentarily confused, Mand's eyes tracked around the room. She was lying on a bed in one of the Celestia's rooms...

"We left," Mand stated blankly as she realized the ship was back in space.

Elena nodded. "We did. Do you remember what happened?"

Painfully, Mand nodded, recalling every heart-stopping moment leading up to her disastrous fall. She knew it hadn't been her best decision, but in her situation, she had to think quickly.

"I fell," she said simply, trying her best to keep the regret out of her voice. Again Elena nodded, and an unreadable expression washed over her face as she answered.

"You did. Rech had to work really hard to heal you, and he's kept you in a light hibernation trance since we left."

Mand blinked. "How long ago was that?"

"Almost two weeks."

If she had really needed that much rest, Mand thought, her injuries must have been extremely severe. She was more concerned, however, with where they had been traveling to for so long...

"You found something on Sump?"

Elena hesitated briefly, but her expression lightened as she nodded.

"Eewon got into their systems and downloaded everything he could. We know where they are - a nebula in the Unknown Regions."

Mand furrowed her brows. "He what?"

"He was able to get codes, coordinates, transmissions... We have every imaginable piece of intelligence on them he could access, and it looks like there wasn't much he didn't get. The _Vandal_ is in hiding, and that's where we're going."

She was still confused, though, but as realization hit her, she began to sit up--and immediately felt a searing, white-hot pain tear through her shoulder. It caught her by surprise and stole her breath as she continued to lean forward, reaching her good hand over to grip her upper arm, supporting the injured shoulder.

"You fell on that side, take it easy..." Elena moved to help her, but Mand shook her head, refusing.

"No," she began breathlessly, "we need to turn the ship around."

"What? Why?"

"Because...there's no way that what Eewon found is real information. I don't care how fast they packed up and left that base, they would _not_ have left a droid link unsecured like that."

Elena looked strangely defiant. "Maybe he cracked the security. He's a bright little droid." But Mand continued to shake her head.

"No, their codes stood up to Imperial slicers. It all has to be false, planted for someone to find--"

"But I heard one of their transmissions! They're in the Unknown Regions!"

"Elena!" Mand held her gaze intensely, trying to force her to see reason. "We are flying straight into their _trap_."

After a few moments, Elena's defiance finally morphed into pained disappointment, softening her eyes as she reluctantly accepted Mand's explanation. Mand's expression fell, too, realizing the hope Elena had invested in their find. Releasing her injured arm, Mand reached her hand over to Elena's shoulder, lowering her voice.

"Look, I know how much you wanted to believe what Eewon had found was genuine, but you have to trust me. Even these lowlifes wouldn't have been so careless as to leave themselves vulnerable by way of a droid link."

Defeated, Elena lowered her head even more, nodding after a few tense moments.

"I'll go change our course," she said sadly.

Without another word, she left, but Rech stepped into the room just seconds later. He had a strange expression on his face, but it instantly softened as he saw Mand sitting up in her bed. He sat beside her carefully, but Mand addressed their change in plans rather than her condition.

"Wherever we are, we're stopping and going back. What Eewon found has to be a trap."

Though he looked saddened, Rech nodded. "I thought it was suspect at first, but Elena was so sure..."

Feeling the sharp pain again, Mand gripped her arm, gently lifting it to ease the strain on her shoulder. Seeing her discomfort, Rech moved closer to her, gently pulling her against him. Though it hurt, she leaned into him as he lightly placed a hand on her injured shoulder. Instantly she felt a cool sensation filter through her arm, quickly soothing the pain. She released a long, slow breath, relishing the feeling as his tranquil healing calmed her. But after a few minutes, she realized that this time felt different, as if it reached her more deeply...

"I think our connection's coming back," Rech whispered with quiet excitement. He had spent so much time repairing her broken body, the intensity of his work must have reopened their connection through the Force. She smiled wanly, but her thoughts easily returned to their situation.

"We've been traveling for two weeks?"

Rech nodded. "Though we had a set of coordinates to aim for, the nav computer refused to plot a course. There were several large asteroid fields to navigate, and that took up the majority of our time. We're not far from some Mid Rim systems, though, which is good, because we'll need to refuel soon." He paused briefly, still concentrating on her shoulder. He lowered his voice, though, as he continued. "Do you have any suggestions on where we should go next?"

Sighing, Mand nodded. "I know there's another abandoned base on Falleen in the ice mountains, and it was only recently vacated. We should have a better chance at finding something there."

"It'll take us more than two weeks to get back on that side of the galaxy," Rech warned.

"I know. We'll be pushing it, but if we don't at least get some kind of lead at that point...we'll have to come up with something else."

A quiet understanding hung between the two as Mand tucked her head under Rech's chin, afraid to say what she really felt was their remaining course of action. Rech knew it, too, though, sparing her the difficulty of voicing the dismal outlook. She also feared that Elena would overhear, and completely destroying her friend's hope was the last thing she wanted to do, especially right now. They'd just have to be cautious...

"Noor died protecting Elena, didn't he?"

Dumbfounded by the seemingly random question, Mand straightened a little and looked at Rech, her confusion evident in her expression. Rech's face remained neutral.

"Her reaction when I asked about him before we got to Sump made me curious, then I overheard her talking to Kaydee a few days ago, about how she and Koril had decided to name their baby Derek Aalon. It just got me thinking. Would she instead name him for his father...if we don't find him?"

Mand swallowed, her eyes becoming sad. "No," she answered softly, "he'll still be Derek Aalon. Master Noor made the ultimate sacrifice on that platform on Coruscant, saving both Elena and her child." Releasing a shaky breath, Mand continued. "Four of the six Dark Jedi we faced stayed behind after the Nerezzas took us. Elena, Noor, and Lithess were only seconds late, and the seven quickly engaged each other in battle. Noor's opponent was the most hostile and powerful, and Elena's was weak. She was doing well, up until he prepared to hit her with Force Lightning. Noor dealt his Dark Jedi a fatal blow and Force Pushed Elena's before he could strike her with a bolt...but before she succumbed to her wound, Noor's opponent whirled on him, piercing him through his heart.

"At the time, Elena didn't even know she was pregnant. She thought Noor was just protecting her because he didn't think she could handle the bolt. Somehow he knew, though, and he saved her son. But she still feels guilty because had she known about her pregnancy, she would have fought differently, and Noor wouldn't have had to..."

Sighing, Rech lowered his gaze and softened his voice. "He would've done it anyway, Mand, you know that."

Sadly, Mand nodded. It had almost been a year since they lost their close friend, Tascit Arosc-Banarecc, in the Dalon Palace collapse, the first time they had really faced a serious loss. Tascit tended to them almost as a surrogate mother, making sure they had anything they needed. And Noor, too, had been a valuable mentor and friend, tirelessly seeking answers after Mand's disappearance and saving Cordira's life by discovering the treatment for Mand. Losing them both within a year of each other was difficult to bear, and she knew it had to be that much harder for Rech who had only recenlty learned of Noor's death.

"You at least got to say goodbye," Mand said as she reached her good hand up to his face, caressing his cheek. He nodded, taking her hand in his gently.

"He mentioned you and Cordira more than once. He said his only regret was not being able to see her and his daughter Dany to their first birthdays." Rech's expression fell abruptly, though, and Mand furrowed her brows, concerned. He had just realized something...

"I've missed half of her life," he said breathlessly. Mand squeezed his hand.

"She's not going to remember, Rech."

"I will."

"When we get back, you'll have plenty of time to catch up." Sitting up more to face him properly, Mand smiled wanly. "I know she's anxious to see her daddy."

Rech's expression lightened slightly as he met Mand's gaze. She continued softly.

"No matter where we are, she watches the door, as if waiting for you to appear there."

He finally smiled a little, making Mand feel better. Leaning against him again, she sighed as he hugged her gently. Her shoulder was nearly pain-free, thanks to his healing. They sat in silence for a long while, again just enjoying each other's presence, and when Rech finally quietly spoke, Mand could tell his spirits had lifted.

"Cordira and Derek will be about a year apart in age."

Mand smiled, briefly thinking of the future. "That will be fun." But suddenly reminded of their mission, she broke through another long silence with her voice lowered to a whisper as she looked up at him, her eyes suddenly tired.

"Elena will probably need some help at the controls."

Nodding, Rech released Mand and stood, offering his hand to her to help her stand, as well. Sighing, she took his hand as he gently pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her. Though her shoulder no longer hurt, her head had begun to pound again, though whether it was residual from her injuries or caused by her anxiety over their situation, she couldn't tell.

* * *

Sitting at the _Celestia_'s controls once again, Elena released a shaky breath as she slowed the engines to nearly nothing and began turning the ship around. She knew that Mand was right, and she of all people would know, but Elena had never felt more...humiliated. She had wanted so much to _finally_ have direction, a target to hone in on, that she was completely blind to the obvious truth that it was nothing more than a snare waiting to capture them. It couldn't have been that easy, rolling into that abandoned base with nothing more than an old astromech, but her desperate heart refused to see otherwise.

Though she stared hard at the controls, a tear she had stubbornly refused to shed fell down her cheek, landing atop her stomach. More than six months along, it seemed impossible for her to be so far already. She didn't feel prepared at all, having been distracted so much early on in her pregnancy. As she crept closer and closer to her due date while she spent weeks among the stars searching the galaxy for Koril, she worried almost constantly, keeping her son inside her steadily active. It couldn't be good for him that she was so incessantly stressed, so intent on calming him, she closed her eyes and drew in a long, slow breath, calling on the Force to soothe her frayed nerves.

She had often used light meditations in place of regular sleep while in tense and dangerous situations for long periods of time, and she had perfected the technique to fully replenish her physical energy and stamina in less than an hour. Emotional fatigue, however, was much harder to correct, because the peace had to come from a change in mindset. She knew that the only way to rectify her turmoil would be to find Koril...and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She instead had to force herself to focus on something else, completely blocking out the "what ifs" and "whys" her thoughts had easily centered on.

_I'm coming for you, Koril... I love you, and I **am** going to find you. Hold on just a little while longer..._

She knew her heartfelt message would be nowhere near strong enough to reach him, and even if it was, he probably wouldn't be able to understand it. Regardless, she sent it out as best she could. It made her feel a little better knowing that maybe, just maybe, he'd at least feel _something_ and not give up hope. It had already been almost three weeks since he had been taken prisoner by the Huxnel, and it nearly made her sick to think what all they had done to him in that time. She had gotten a brief taste of it through their connection before the Destroyers disappeared, and though she knew he was strong...she knew that they were brutal. She had first-hand experience with that.

Interrupting her thoughts, Eewon rolled up beside her in the cockpit, whistling inquisitively at her. It wasn't until he plugged into a scomp link and displayed his question on the console that she released a long breath and looked down at him and the readout.

Her voice was flat and hoarse, indicating her tiredness. "It doesn't matter, Eewon, what you have is no good."

Beeping again, he protested, but still Elena shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't pay any attention to it."

Persistent, Eewon whistled shrilly as he disengaged from the console and rolled back slightly, playing a similarly noisy transmission like the one he had played at the Sump base. Though rough and patchy at best, the voice sounded female.

"T--...--ollowing a susp--...--aft to --ace of Umgul, wi--...--vis--of the possibility th--craft may be und--...--irect--fugiti--atio Sheridan. Za--out."

Breathless, Elena stared at the droid wide-eyed. This one _had_ to be real. She heard 'fugitive' close enough to Horatio Sheridan to have been describing the double agent, and she knew he had it coming once the Huxnel found out it was he who had freed her from their clutches a few months ago. Had they caught on to him, caught up to him, captured him, killed him?

Curious, she quickly turned to the nav computer and searched its maps for Umgul's location. After a few moments of hunting, she found it situated in the Mid Rim, sitting just a few parsecs off the Hydian Way. It was on the opposite side of the galaxy from their current position, but knowing Mand wouldn't agree, she clicked the map off and turned back to Eewon, leveling a serious expression at him.

"Not a word of this to Rech or Mand," she ordered, then added after a moment, "or Kaydee. Got it?"

Eewon beeped quietly but affirmatively just as Elena saw both Rech and Mand emerging from their room. Rech was supporting Mand as they walked, but she seemed to be in decent enough shape as they approached. Mand smiled wanly at her, and Elena nodded, standing from the controls as they reached her.

"Where are we headed?"

Releasing Mand, Rech sat and checked the controls as Mand reached over him and brought up the nav computer's maps. Finally coming to rest on a portion of the Corellian Run, Mand pointed at a small system.

"Here, Falleen. It's not quite as hostile a planet as Sump, but it's more heavily populated. We'll have to keep as low a profile as possible."

As Rech entered the coordinates and righted the _Celestia_, Elena felt her heart skip a beat as she saw that only a few sectors away from their planned course to Falleen...was the planet Umgul.


	8. Chapter 8

Though the majority of Falleen they flew over was covered in sprawling cities, Mand helped Rech direct the _Celestia_ to the planet's isolated ice mountains near its south axis. It was cold outside, but once the four descended into the mountain from the base's entrance hidden by snowdrift, they quickly met warm air, making Mand wary. Finding both abandoned bases in working order made her anxious... Maybe they weren't as abandoned as she thought.

Unlike Sump, though, Mand had spent considerable time in the Falleen base when she was younger, working with her former master. She still remembered the layout perfectly, and she knew they'd face a few obstacles before they could reach the main sector of the base.

Beside her, Rech stopped and drew his lightsaber, suddenly on edge. He hadn't yet ignited it, but his tight grip on the hilt indicated his immediate concern. Mand and Elena stopped, too, watching him.

"Someone else is here," he breathed quietly, and Mand felt it, too, putting her sense on edge, as well. With Eewon rolling behind them, though, she felt a little better about their chances at cornering whoever it was they were about to encounter.

Reaching out with the Force, Mand probed the maze under their feet, trying to pinpoint the location. She felt the presence deep in the mountain, but near the opposite side of the base approaching a hangar that opened up out of the ground...

"We have to hurry," Mand said quickly, taking off for the hangar. Rech sprinted alongside her, but they were rapidly leaving Elena and Eewon behind. Mand yelled behind her as she continued down the corridor.

"Eewon, find a link and close the hangar door as soon as you can! Elena, stay with him!"

As Mand and Rech sprinted together, Rech glanced at her briefly, controlling his breath well.

"Do you recognize the presence?"

Mand shook her head and directed him around a corner, further into the base where durasteel beams lined the walls, supporting the artificially created corridors. She knew they were quickly coming up on the base's first round of defenses...

Skidding to a stop as they rounded another corner, Rech ignited his lightsaber as four autoturrets appeared from behind panels in the wall that dropped away. The turrets quickly released a punishing volley of heavy turbolaser fire, forcing Rech to desperately parry them to protect himself and Mand. But in a panic, Mand powerfully pulled Rech back around the corner.

"NO! Don't!" she yelled as she nearly wrestled Rech to the ground to stop him. He looked at her with confused anger, but breathing heavily, Mand held her hand up to him.

"Don't. If any of those turrets are destroyed, this _entire_ place implodes."

Rech's expression instantly neutralized as he powered down his saber, though he quickly became concerned.

"Can you move fast enough to get by them?"

Taking in a controlled breath, she nodded. "Go left, then immediately right," she instructed him as she prepared to make the dash. He nodded, too, gripping his lightsaber hilt tightly, ready to meet further danger around the corner.

"You go first," Rech ordered softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She instantly felt an energizing rush from his touch, and drawing in a quick breath, she fueled herself with the Force, sprinting toward the turrets at a blinding speed.

Utilizing Force Speed, she swept past the turrets before they had even prepared to fire. It seemed like time had been slowed to a near standstill, leaving her free to continue one down another long hallway. She was only halfway through it, though, when she felt herself losing energy at an alarming rate. She slowly reduced her speed, but sudden exhaustion made quick work of her as she fell forward with the little momentum she had left.

As she slid to a stop on the floor, she heard the turrets firing behind her. She lifted herself up and looked back toward the hall she had just come from, listening to the turrets as they continued to fire, but she didn't see Rech yet. Just as she began to panic, the turrets briefly went silent and she saw his blur round the corner as new turbolaser fire again rang out. Rech slowed as he approached her, and he knelt beside her, his expression alarmed. Mand shook her head.

"Just ran out of fuel."

Somewhat relieved, he nodded and helped her stand, again sharing his energy with her. She instantly felt better, and taking his hand, she resumed their sprint, descending deeper into the base. Another obstacle awaited them, but they were in the clear for now...

Finally, the hallway opened up to a circular chamber where a dozen doors lined the walls. Some led into the base, Mand knew, and some led to traps. None of the doors were marked, but Mand remembered the right one. Surprising Rech, she led him straight toward a seemingly solid wall...and walked right through it.

Behind the holo wall, a dark turbolift swept open for them, and stepping into it, Mand selected the lowest level. The lift moved quickly, and as it opened to the hangar, Mand saw a figure up ahead about to climb into a small fighter. Before she could get the figure's attention, a loud boom echoed through the large hangar as the huge doors lumbered toward each other, closing them all in. The figure ahead froze, but after looking back and seeing Rech and Mand, it climbed back down and took off in a dead sprint.

"HEY!" Mand called out, chasing after the shadow. Rech followed behind her, but she was quickly losing him, increasing her speed to catch up with the stranger.

Ducking into a hallway leading back into the base from the hangar, Mand just barely dodged a blaster bolt aimed at her, throwing herself against a wall as the bolt singed her shirt as it grazed her back. She righted herself and prepared to use the Force on her attacker, but she found the hall empty. Quickly catching up again, Mand rounded another corner and unleashed a powerful Force Push, catching the other off guard. A female voice yelled in surprise, falling forward onto her face, but she again called out, reaching for something that flew from her hand as she fell. It looked like a vial of something, and it, too, hit the floor hard ahead of her, shattering and spilling its contents.

"No!!" she cried sadly, scrambling to her hands and knees, crawling over to the broken vial. Mand caught up to her, though, and Force Pulled her over to the wall, away from the spill.

"No, that was the only one..." The woman, dressed in a Huxnel flight suit uniform, stared at the vial longingly before she looked up and leveled hard, furious eyes at Mand. As Rech jogged up behind her, Mand finally recognized the brown-haired, amber-eyed woman on the floor.

"Zanti," Mand said as she matched the woman's gaze. Rech's curious glance prompted her to explain. "She's a pilot for the Huxnel. We worked together a long time ago." Mand again looked at her, still holding her against the wall with the Force.

"You here alone?"

Zanti only maintained a scathing glare, saying nothing. Her silence confused Mand. Zanti almost always had something witty to say, no matter what the situation, but Mand could sense her anger raging through her mind instead. Glancing at the broken pieces of the vial, Mand furrowed her brows.

"What was in it?"

Finally responsive, Zanti lowered her voice to a snarl.

"You have no idea what you've done."

Even more perplexed, Mand stepped over to the vial, kneeling beside it as she looked over its splattered contents. In the dim light, it looked like a silvery serum, one that was vaguely familiar...

Hearing the metallic clicking of wheels rolling over the durasteel floors, Mand looked up to see both Elena and Eewon approaching from the opposite direction, and Elena carrying a pair of binders in her hand. Glad to see them both uninjured by the base's tough security, Mand stood and extended her hand to take the binders from Elena. Mand still had Zanti held down by the Force, and working quickly, she pulled the woman to her feet and bound her wrists behind her.

"We're done playing, Zanti," Mand said firmly as she tossed the woman's blaster aside and forced her against the wall. "What are you doing here? I know you don't work alone."

Growling as she shook Mand's hands off her shoulders, Zanti stepped forward angrily. "Let me go! You're not getting _anything_ out of me!" Shoving her harder, Mand held her against the wall again, staring her down.

"_What_ was in that vial!" Mand demanded, but instead of Zanti getting angrier...she suddenly looked pained and sad. Having watched quietly, Elena stepped up beside Mand with a curious expression on her face as she spoke to Zanti.

"...what's on Umgul?"

Stunned, Zanti's face suddenly turned pale as she looked at Elena, her expression frozen in shock. Mand turned to Elena, too, confused.

"Umgul?" Looking back at Zanti, Mand looked her over, trying to decipher her reaction. She was almost...afraid, as if a secret she had been trying to hide had suddenly been revealed. Remaining silent, Zanti neutralized her expression, keeping a wary gaze on Elena, who continued.

"Is Horatio still there?"

Again, Zanti looked surprised, but she quickly looked to the floor. Exasperated, Mand turned to Elena again.

"_What _are you talking about? Where did Umgul come from? They don't have any bases there."

After studying Zanti's expression for a long moment, Elena determinedly met Mand's gaze. "We're going there, right now, and she's coming with us." As Elena turned and walked away down the hallway with Eewon rolling loyally behind her, Mand glanced at Rech, sighing after a moment as she resigned to Elena's demand. She gripped Zanti by the arms and forced her forward after Elena, noticing the defeated woman again looking sadly at the shattered vial on the ground as they stepped by it.

* * *

The trip to Umgul took only a few short hours, but to Elena, they felt much too long, though they gave her ample time to think. Zanti's reaction to her questions had been telling, though in the back of her mind, Elena feared that Horatio was dead. She was absolutely sure it was Zanti's voice on that broken transmission Eewon had played for her, mentioning Horatio on Umgul. The woman was a Huxnel pilot, but her reaction was more reminiscent of the pain of loss, rather than guilt of duty. Had she been personally close to him? The transmission branded him as a fugitive, and for good reason, so was Zanti charged with just finding him, or assassinating him? Determined to find _something_, since Zanti wasn't offering any information, Elena felt as though Umgul would have at least some kind of answer for her.

Again sitting at the controls, Elena wasn't surprised to hear Mand stepping up behind her with Rech close in tow. She shifted herself in the seat, making more room between the edge of the console and her belly, though the move put more strain on her back. Her son protested, too, landing a decisive kick just under her ribs. She was just able to correct the wince on her face as Mand sat in the empty seat beside her with Rech at her back. Both had grim expressions on their faces, and Elena had an idea what they were preparing to talk to her about.

"Elena," Mand began gently, "we need to discuss something." Elena nodded, doing her best not to sigh as Mand continued. "We're both very worried about you. After we finish on Umgul," she paused, "I think we should get you home."

Expecting Elena to object immediately, Mand continued after a moment when she remained silent. "We've been across the galaxy twice, and we haven't yet found anything on Koril. You're getting much too close... This ship isn't equipped to handle a newborn, and what if something goes wrong? I just--... I want you to be in a safe, comfortable, familiar place...and this isn't it."

Clenching her jaw, Elena looked at Mand with a defiant expression. "You want me to give up on the search for Koril." Discouraging Elena, Mand didn't disagree.

"I think you need to suspend your involvement for a while."

Elena's voice was tired suddenly. "I have a month and a half."

"But you're exhausted," Mand continued with sincere concern. "You're stressed, you're upset... All that can cause problems for you, and for him." She opened her mouth to say more, but thought better of it and remained silent. With her arms crossed over her chest, Elena demanded to know.

"What aren't you saying?"

With a regretful expression, Mand hesitantly answered her after a long silence.

"I also think that at this point, we need to be realistic... It's been almost three months. The Huxnel have to stay mobile while they're avoiding authorities, and bringing prisoners along becomes costly and difficult. If they haven't come forward yet, demanding something in exchange for him..." Releasing a shaky breath, she tentatively continued. "...I don't think there's any reason they would have kept him this long."

Dumbfounded by her friend's lack of hope, Elena looked hurt. "He could've escaped." Mand shook her head.

"Not without help. Even I couldn't have gotten out if I hadn't been aided by a friend. No...I don't think there's any way he's still alive, Elena."

Defiance quickly overtook Elena's expression and her voice once more. "He is _not_ dead, and I am not going home until I find him."

"Elena--"

Mand had begun to reply when a loud beep filled the cockpit, stopping her. Having never heard the unique, shrill alert before, Elena looked down at the console--and felt her heart stop.

"What is it?" Rech asked, speaking for the first time during the conversation. Elena could hardly form words, though, as she watched Umgul slowly appear ahead of the _Celestia_.

"The sensors..."

On edge, Mand sat forward, putting a hand on Elena's shoulder. "Elena?"

Finally finding her voice, she looked back at the two, her face blank in amazement.

"...they found a Crest."


	9. Chapter 9

As the _Celestia_ roared into Umgul's foggy atmosphere, Elena could feel her heart pounding in frantic anticipation. _Finally_, something good, a sign of hope; she _had_ to be close to finding Koril. The ship's sensors directed them to where it detected the Rys'tihn Crest, and as they descended out of the upper, heavier fog into a cloudy haze, Elena could see a small transport resting unevenly on the mountainous terrain. It had Huxnel markings on its outer hull, and its rear ramp had been left wide open. Staring at it intensely, she willed the _Celestia_ to land faster, and before it had even finished lowering its ramp, she was already stepping off the edge, making her way over to the smaller ship.

"Elena, wait," Mand called out to her with concern as she tried to catch up, but Elena didn't slow. She had her lightsaber drawn, so she'd be able to protect herself if the need arose, but only interested in finding Koril, she marched on, having to climb a few rocky edges to reach the ship. Her stomach made it that much more difficult for her to move, and therefore easier for Mand to join her, and as they both reached the back end of the small transport at the same time, they came upon a partially decayed body, lying just outside the ship in a rare patch of mossy plants.

From behind her, Elena felt Mand grip her shoulders, but she wrenched free, stepping closer to the body to look it over. It couldn't be Koril... There wasn't anything around its neck, and even through the decay, she could see tattered remains of a Huxnel uniform not much unlike the one that Zanti was wearing. And it couldn't be Horatio; the body was built differently. Almost afraid to look into the ship's cabin, Elena stepped up to it slowly, preparing herself for what she might find...

The ship was empty, though, save for a mess of droid parts all about the floor and a long cargo container against one wall. Feeling her hope slipping away, she anxiously stepped into the cabin and began searching, shaking as she started to realize there was no way Koril was there inside that small ship. She furiously tossed droid servos and limbs out of the rear hatch without touching them, nearly blinded with rage. It wasn't until Mand again gripped her shoulders from behind her that she felt grief take over, buckling her knees. Mand eased to the floor with her, supporting her to keep her from falling too quickly.

"He's not here," she said breathless, shaking. "He's not here..."

Wordlessly, Mand hugged her around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. Receiving a strong kick at her ribs again, Elena hunched forward and looked down at her stomach, taking in a few slow breaths to calm herself. As she began to look back up, a shiny glint on the floor just behind the pilot's chair caught her eye. Focusing on it, she realized that it was what the sensors had detected: a Rys'tihn Crest, barely still attached to a broken chain. She quickly snatched it up and looked it over, but as Mand leaned over her shoulder in interest, Elena felt her spirits fall even further. She lowered her head, afraid to speak.

"It's not his..."

Mand's voice was gentle. "Are you sure?"

Elena nodded sadly. "His has a small dent on the back. He said his friend Brent had taken it as a joke when they were young. He hid it in Koril's room where they were rearranging furniture, and it got smashed..."

After looking at the Crest for a few moments, Elena realized it must belong to Deilia. She had been captured by the Huxnel after a valiant attempt to hold them off, then the brazen thugs used her Crest to get into the Rys'tihn Manor and attack Elena and Koril in their sleep. Though Deilia had been rescued, she wasn't wearing her Crest, and it was assumed that the Huxnel had either discarded it or kept it in plans to use it again in the future. As she turned it over in her palm, she struggled to make sense of everything that was going on. How did it all fit?

Finding renewed strength, Elena stood suddenly, pocketing Deilia's Crest, and stepped out of the ship, meeting Rech as he tugged Zanti up to them. Elena met Zanti's eyes with a severe gaze as anger once again flowed through her.

"I know you were here, and I know you were after Horatio. Where is he? Where's Koril?"

Again Zanti looked both confused and scared, though her expression changed slightly to anger when she looked down at the corpse. Remaining silent, though, Zanti looked back up to Elena defiantly. Furious, Elena pointed at the remains, restraining her voice little.

"Was this your partner? Did you kill him? Did you kill Horatio?" Still getting no response, Elena narrowed her eyes and lifted her hand, flexing her fingers as she closed an invisible fist around Zanti's throat. "_ANSWER _me!!"

Zanti's eyes widened in horror as she choked, unable to breathe. Rech and Mand, while stunned by what Elena was doing, acted quickly. Mand stepped in front of Elena and firmly gripped her arm, forcing her backwards to sit on the ship's ramp while Rech turned with Zanti and put himself between the bound woman and Elena, blocking her efforts. Though Elena could only see Mand's appalled face in front of her, she heard Zanti coughing as she resumed breathing. Though she wasn't crying, tears were streaming down Elena's face. She almost didn't believe what she had done, but as she felt her anger releasing her again, she closed her eyes and let her head fall forward, admitting her defeat to Mand.

"I...did not...kill...Horatio..."

Surprised that Zanti finally spoke, Elena looked up and met Mand's gaze again. Glancing back at Rech, though, Mand softened and sat beside Elena, holding both of her hands tightly. Rech was still grasping Zanti by her arms, but he had turned her back to face them. Her expression was defeated, as well, as she continued with a rough voice that was still recovering.

"I was sent to find him...yes...but I did not kill him."

"Who's this?" Mand asked as she indicated the body. Zanti didn't look away from Elena's gaze, though.

"Occar, my parter. He and I tracked Horatio here, but...I didn't expect... I had to kill him to _protect_ Horatio."

Elena furrowed her brows, confused. "Why did Horatio need protecting? He of all people should be able to take care of himself. " Zanti's expression faltered slightly, but she maintained her locked gaze with Elena.

"He is a fugitive now, and I...I wanted to help him."

Sighing, Mand leveled a tired expression at Zanti. "You've made yourself a fugitive, you realize, by killing your partner. Right now we're the last people you should be worried about, so why don't you tell us what you're withholding." She released one of Elena's hands and put her arm behind herself to lean back on, but instead of landing on the ship's solid floor, her hand slipped and she fell back. As she sat back up, she had a datapad in her hand that must have caused her slip. Zanti remained silent, though, as Mand looked over the datapad, and Elena watched her, too.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Mand said, still reading it over. "It sounds almost like instructions for somebody..."

Glancing back into the ship's cabin, Elena looked over at the empty cargo container, finding it curious how its contents were spilled about the ship. Even though it looked like the small transport had endured a rough landing, it hadn't been so rough as to toss all the droid parts about. As she scanned its length, she noticed its interior and exterior dimensions weren't matching up... It looked much deeper on the outside than inside. Clumsily climbing back into the cabin to inspect it further, she listened as Mand read the datapad aloud.

"'Before I left, I injected myself with the old antidote. It won't work for him, but filter it out of my blood and use it as a template for what he has.'"

Carefully kneeling beside the container, Elena reached in and felt along the inner edge...and found a latch. Pulling it up, she heard a click, and the floor moved. Seeing a separation between the walls and the "floor", she lifted it up, revealing the container's lower storage space. Instantly, a torn piece of a deep purple cloth caught her attention, and picking it off a protruding piece of durasteel from the container's inner frame, Elena looked up and down the hidden compartment. It was long enough...deep enough...

Was she imagining things? Checking the container again, she looked it over a dozen times, making sure she wasn't jumping to rash conclusions, but as she felt the purple cloth between her fingers...she _had_ to be right...

Looking back out to Mand, Elena could hardly believe what she was saying. "Horatio got Koril off the _Vandal_." Switching her gaze to Zanti, she continued. "Didn't he? That's why you were sent after him?"

Zanti swallowed, speaking carefully. "I didn't know it was Horatio who had done it until after we got a look inside."

Again, Elena rubbed the torn cloth. "But Koril was in here?" She looked back at Zanti just as she nodded. Mand was still mulling over the datapad's contents, but taking in a sharp breath, her expression immediately became alarmed.

"The virus!"

Mand quickly looked at Zanti, not restraining much worry from her voice. "They gave it to him??" She brought a hand to her head as Zanti again nodded.

"A new one; it doesn't even have an antidote yet. Koril was the first test subject."

Mand's expression fell even more. "As if the original wasn't bad enough..."

Elena stood awkwardly from the container and stepped out of the ship again, facing both Mand and Zanti. "What virus? What are you talking about?"

Mand bit her lower lip, seemingly afraid to tell her, but Elena persisted, giving her an expectant look. Mand released a shaky breath as she hesitantly explained. "It's a custom-made virus, created solely for torture and manipulation. They had only just started using it before I left, but it...it creates severe, body-wide pain in designated time intervals, and in exchange for a brief remedy for the pain, the prisoners had to first offer information the Huxnel wanted out of them. If they didn't give anything up...the pain would drive them insane."

Thinking back, Elena nodded as a wave of realization passed over her face. "I felt it. I felt it from him." Getting concerned looks from both Rech and Mand, she continued. "Just minutes before the Star Destroyers left Paneau, I felt his pain through our connection. It was...terrible, nearly knocked me out...but it was brief." Returning her gaze to Zanti, Elena softened her expression. "Was he still alive when you saw him?"

Still fearful of her, Zanti spoke quietly. "I don't know. He was still breathing...but that was almost three weeks ago." Mand turned to Zanti, too, leveling her own question at her.

"That was a vial of the old antidote, wasn't it?" Zanti nodded, spilling everything else she hadn't yet said.

"I thought Horatio had it, too; he wasn't responsive when we got here, either. A man met me here as I was taking Horatio away and said that he had come to get both of them to treat them. I told him I could help, and he agreed to let me go to Falleen to get the old antidote. He gave me coordinates to meet him at, but they're back on Falleen in my fighter..."

"Who was it, the man who came for them?"

Zanti shook her head. "I don't know, I never asked. He was ready to leave and not even take them, but I convinced him to once I assured him I had no interest in the Huxnel anymore."

Elena furrowed her brows, trying to suppress her anger. "So...you don't know where he took them?" Remorsefully, Zanti again shook her head. Expecting Mand to intervene, Elena turned to her, but found her concentrating on something, her eyes unfocused in thought. After a long moment, Mand looked up and glanced between the three.

"Whoever he was, he had to know how to find Horatio, didn't he?" They all nodded, and Mand quickly climbed back inside the ship, sitting at its controls. Elena followed, stepping up behind her as she worked at the console, bringing up a readout on the screen.

"The last transmission this ship sent...went to these coordinates." Again punching buttons at the nav computer, another screen pulled up a diagram. "The maps identify them as belonging to the planet Agamar." As her shoulders fell, she heaved a defeated sigh. "Across the galaxy...again." But looking up at Elena standing behind her, Mand's eyes at least looked hopeful once more. Elena met hers with a determined gaze.

"We're going."

Nodding slowly, Mand agreed softly. "We're going."

Returning to the controls, she sent the coordinates to the _Celestia_'s computers and stood from the seat. Elena walked beside her as they left the small ship, and before they began the short climb back to the Paneau ship, Elena stopped Rech with Zanti. Expectedly, she tensed, but Elena stepped around behind her and wordlessly released the binders at her wrists. Surprised, Zanti stepped back from her, but as Elena watched her with a calm expression, a silent understanding flowed between them. After a moment's hesitation, Zanti nodded and followed the other three back onto the _Celestia_, also with a renewed sense of hope.


	10. Chapter 10

"We can't get there any faster?"

Mand's anxiety was more apparent in her voice than she wanted, but as Rech looked back at her, his expression was understanding.

"We're pushing it as it is. Even using the Hydian Way, we're only saving a few days. There's just so much space to cover, not to mention the traffic we'll encounter when we get to the Core. One week, minimum."

Sighing, Mand glanced back at Elena who was resting on a plush bench in the main cabin behind her. Elena hadn't said much since they had left Umgul a few days ago, but Mand knew she had plenty on her mind. For hours, Elena had lain on her side with a hand over her stomach, staring numbly at the floor. Mand had tried to get her to rest in her bedroom that had to be much more comfortable for her burdened body, but insistent on staying near the cockpit, Elena hadn't moved. Having just been in a similar situation a few months earlier, awaiting Rech's return, Mand could sympathize. She was, however, growing more concerned about Elena's baby, unsure how much longer he could survive the constant stress.

Returning her attention to him, Rech took Mand's hand gently, folding his fingers with hers. His touch made her realize her own fatigue, and still sore from her earlier injuries, she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Without telling him, though, he understood, and she soon felt his cool healing soothe her pain. She could've fallen asleep as she was, strangely comfortable in the awkward cockpit seats...

"Who is this Horatio?" Rech asked quietly. Mand sat up to face him properly, shaking her head.

"I'm not sure. Elena mentioned him a few months ago, saying that he had rescued her from the Huxnel when she was kidnapped. That was the first I'd heard of him, but she made it sound as if they were almost...close."

Rech nodded, briefly thinking it over. "If we can believe what Zanti's said and what the evidence tells us...then he's two for two, rescuing Elena, and now Koril. Must be a good friend."

"Yeah," Mand answered with her voice lowered, "or the wrong kind."

Again looking back at Elena, Mand had started to pose a question of her own to Rech when she saw Elena cringe slightly, tightening her arm around her belly. Instantly, Mand was out of her seat and knelt at Elena's side, searching her face with concern.

"Elena?? What's wrong?"

Surprised that Mand had reacted so quickly, Elena hardly had a chance to breathe before Mand again questioned her, but she finally shook her head, answering tiredly after a moment.

"It's nothing, Mand, just a spasm in my back. I took care of it."

Still worried about her, though, Mand put a hand on Elena's shoulder, looking her over. "But...I saw you..."

"It was _just_ my back."

Sighing, Mand sat back on her feet, unconvinced, but unable to prove otherwise. "Are you sure?" As Elena nodded, Mand squeezed one of her hands in support, letting her friend know she was still concerned. Elena's eyes closed sleepily as Mand stood from her and returned to the cockpit, but sure that what she had seen was no muscle spasm, Mand was far from mollified.

Still seated at the controls beside her, Rech gripped her shoulder, gently massaging her taut muscles. As she rested her elbow on the console in front of her and held her forehead in her hand, Rech's words were far from comforting, though he kept his voice low so as to not be overheard.

"If it had been her back, she would've arched it, not curled up further."

"I know," Mand said sadly. "We should've taken her home when we had the chance." She turned her head slightly to look at him, her eyes as worn as she felt.

"I don't think she's going to make it to Agamar."

"I don't think so, either," Rech agreed. Turning back to the controls, he pulled up the nav computer map that displayed their planned travel. "It won't be more than a few hours before we hit the Perlemian Trade Route, and Coruscant's only a few hours from there. I know my parents would be more than willing to help."

"You are _not_ leaving me on Coruscant."

Turning around in her seat, Mand met Elena's furious glare and leveled her own intense gaze back at her as she stood to face her.

"Elena, this is absurd. You're not healthy, and you're not staying calm. I _know_ you've started early labor, so this is as far as you go. I can't let you endanger your son's life any longer."

Though their eyes remained locked, Mand watched as Elena's expression, once defiant and angry, wavered and finally broke, resigning again. She shook with grief as she lowered herself to the floor onto her knees, holding her stomach tightly. Feeling her pain, Mand knelt in front of her and grasped Elena's hands firmly, searching her face. Looking back up at Mand and Rech, Elena was barely able to compose herself long enough to speak.

"Put me in a hibernation trance...until we get to Agamar. It'll stop the contractions..."

Blinking, Mand did her best to keep a stunned look off her face. But as Elena continued to plead earnestly, Mand looked back at Rech who was standing behind her.

"I don't think it's ever been done on a..." she trailed off, her apprehension well evident. To her relief, though, Rech looked contemplative and, eventually, at ease with the idea.

"The trance itself isn't harmful, but I'd have to make sure he's in it, as well." He released a slow breath, putting a hand on Mand's shoulder as he continued quietly. "I'll stay with her, you keep at the controls."

Before Mand could turn back to her, Elena threw her arms around Mand's neck, hugging her tightly. As Mand returned the embrace, she glanced at Rech with worry, but meeting his determined gaze, she sighed and stood with Elena, leading her down the hall to her bedroom.

* * *

As Elena sluggishly awakened from the week-long trance, she breathed slowly and deeply, easing herself back into consciousness. She felt her senses gradually returning to her, and with her mind cleared, she hadn't felt so calm and at peace in a long time. She knew for the sake of her son she needed to stay relaxed, but as her thoughts returned to her, though, reminding her of the reason she had been asleep for so long, she forced her groggy mind into full gear, blinking repeatedly to focus her eyes.

Still lying on her side on the soft bed, her gaze finally fell on Rech, loyally keeping watch in a chair beside her. He smiled wanly at her as she began to sit up, but it quickly disappeared as she cringed from a swift kick from her son. Rech reached an arm around her back to support her, but she made an effort to continue without his help.

"He tolerated the trance well," Rech told her quietly, "and I was able to slow your early labor. You'll have to take that over, though, keeping the contractions at bay."

Elena nodded, tensing and stretching her muscles to wake herself up further. She had begun to ask a question, but Rech answered before she spoke.

"We'll be landing on Agamar in a few minutes." And again anticipating her question, Rech continued with muted excitement. "The sensors have already picked up a Crest."

Feeling her breath catch in her chest, she closed her eyes and gripped Rech's arm tightly, afraid she was dreaming. When Rech in turn grasped her shoulders to support her, though, she looked at him, meeting his concerned gaze. She released a shaky breath, hesitantly smiling the slightest bit.

"He's here..." she breathed, feeling her heart fill with hope. Rech nodded with a small smile of his own, gripping her elbow as she slowly stood from the bed. But even though she knew they were quickly closing in on the planet, she felt her hope fading as quickly as it had built. As she reached out with the Force...she couldn't sense Koril any more than she could before. Feeling Elena's distress, Rech's expression fell, as well, but he remained silent while they slowly made their way to the front of the _Celestia_.

Zanti stood behind Mand at the ship's controls, both silent and intensely focused on the busy planet ahead. Rech helped Elena to a seat behind the cockpit, but she kept a firm grip on his arm, keeping him at her side. He maintained a supportive grip on her shoulder as he looked ahead.

"Mand?"

"The sensors are directing us to a remote facility well north of the capital. We shouldn't draw much attention there."

Again frozen in anticipation as the _Celestia_ made a lengthy approach, Elena attempted to reach out once more with the Force, directing her search to the surface. If he was there, she couldn't tell, and she was starting to panic. She didn't think she could handle finding just a Crest again, he _had_ to be there...

"I don't know how you did this," Elena said shakily to Rech. Crouching beside her, he furrowed his brows as he took her hand, his voice matching her low volume.

"Did what?"

Swallowing hard, Elena squeezed his hand, fighting to keep her expression neutral. "Searched for Mand for four years. I can hardly keep myself together, and it's only been a few months."

Rech's face softened as he brought his other hand on top of hers, holding it delicately. His eyes were sympathetic and understanding, calming her as he answered gently. "I had good friends with me...friends who didn't let me give up."

Feeling her eyes welling up with tears, she closed them tightly, drawing in a few shaky breaths to calm herself. She had spent just as much time looking for Mand as he had, staying by his side through the toughest times, the worst heartbreaks as they chased dozens of dead-end leads. It had been at her urging that he had taken the Knighthood Tests, keeping him focused enough to succeed and graduate from the Academy.

Now that the tables were turned and it was Elena seeking her love, she finally understood what it had been like for him. He had acted brashly and foolishly more times than she could count, even to the point of facing death while confronting a powerful suspect. Elena, too, had been blinded by desperation, but Rech and Mand were doing their best to keep her from making choices that would endanger her son.

Still with her eyes closed, Elena found her voice again. "I need him to be here, Rech... I'm not strong enough to do this on my own."

Rech squeezed her hand in return, and making her open her eyes, he embraced her tightly. "I think you are. And even if you weren't, you would never be alone. Mand and I wouldn't allow it."

As he stepped back from her, Rech offered a wan smile, but still worried, Elena couldn't return it. Before he could say more, though, the _Celestia_'s engines roared as they battled Agamar's gravity. Within a few tense moments, the whole ship rocked gently as she landed, and up in the cockpit, Mand began powering down the systems. Though he hadn't been asked, Eewon rolled up beside Mand and immediately worked on removing the transponder to make it a mobile sensor. Mand wordlessly stood from the controls and waited for him to finish, taking the device from his mechanical grip. She checked its functionality as she left the cockpit, speaking to the droids as she stepped up beside Rech and Elena.

"Thank you, Eewon. Stay here with Kaydee and guard the ship, please."

Rech helped Elena stand, and with Zanti following Mand, the four looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Returning her attention to the sensor, Mand led the group down the _Celestia_'s rear ramp into Agamar's dark, frigid night, pointing to a lone, skeleton-like building they had landed beside.

"There," she said blankly, gripping her blaster from its holster at her hip. Beside Elena, Rech pulled his lightsaber off his belt but kept a strong arm at her elbow, ready to support her. Elena, too, grabbed her lightsaber, getting a cold feeling from the building the four were approaching.

Despite towering three stories high, the building was narrow and for the most part looked vacated. Lights only shone from a few second floor windows, and even some sections of the upper floors had no outer paneling and bared their structural supports. It was an unsightly building, but with no other structures around with which to compare, Elena briefly wondered if it was normal Agamarian architecture.

As they continued to approach, a shadow could be seen moving about the second floor, though it was silhouetted by the room's light and blurred by frosted transparisteel windows. Feeling the anticipation mounting, Elena almost jumped when she sensed someone about to emerge from the main door that they had just reached. Rech and Mand sensed it, too, and they immediately pressed themselves against the walls beside the door, tugging Elena and Zanti with them just in time.

The door swept open and a thin, dark-haired human man stepped outside carrying a small case at his side, completely unaware of the company he had. As soon as the door closed behind him, Rech and Mand stepped just behind him, each stretching a hand toward him. The man's case was stripped from his hand and fell to the ground hard, and as he whirled around, a blaster flew into the air from his waist and met Mand's open palm. Alarmed, the man began to stumble as he stepped backward, and finally losing his balance, he fell onto his backside as Rech and Mand closed the gap between them. He held his hands up in defense, speaking quickly.

"Please, I don't have any credits, take my --"

"I know him," Zanti interrupted him, stepping up behind Mand. "He's the one who took Horatio and Koril."

The man looked even more alarmed as he glanced between the four, apparently fearing retribution from them. Elena could hardly breathe as she stepped beside Rech, shoving his arm away as he tried to keep her back.

"Where are they!" Elena demanded frantically. "Where's Koril!"

Still with his hands in front of him, the man shakily pointed back into the building, looking between them apprehensively. "Second floor."

Yielding to her own impatience, Mand quickly reached down and grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt and pulled him back up on his feet, forcing him toward the door he had just left. "You're taking us up there."

Without a choice, the man swallowed and slowly proceeded inside. Though Mand tugged at Elena's arm, she tossed aside her attempts, too, and ignored her, keeping close on the man's heels as he led them up a flight of stairs. She heard the sensor in Mand's hand behind her accelerating its beeping, quickening her heart rate, but as they neared the top of the stairs, another slower beeping sound replaced it. All sound, all feeling, all thoughts disappeared, though, as the man brought Elena into an open room that was centered around one bed...where Koril lay, ashen and motionless.

Dozens of monitors and machines were clustered around him, beeping and clicking as they operated. Though Elena was breathless and no longer conscious of her own movement, she was instantly at his side, gripping his hand tightly and stroking his forehead. As she looked him over in numb shock, she saw countless wires and tubes attached to him everywhere, and at lengthy intervals, a machine just beside him forced air in and out of his lungs through a tube that went down his throat.

Were it not for the monitors indicating his vital signs and for the minimal connection to him she could still feel in the Force, she would have thought him dead. He looked gaunt, lifeless, and as the rush of finally finding him had subsided, she felt her legs beginning to buckle underneath her in her grief. A strong pair of hands gripped her shoulders from behind her and lowered her onto a hard chair as she felt tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. She heard nothing, felt nothing, until Mand stepped around to the other side, also looking down on Koril sadly. Finally realizing that his hand she was holding was colder than hers, she fumbled for words.

"He's...he's freezing...find a blanket..."

Mand had begun to comply, but a new voice filled the room, stopping her.

"No, he needs to stay cooled."

A calm Bith man stepped up behind Mand, casting a solid onyx gaze on them all. Seeing Elena's reaction, though, he moved closer, softening his rough, heavily accented voice.

"I'm Dr. Gorlin Vil. I'll explain everything."


	11. Chapter 11

Fixated on Koril's pallid, thin face, Elena hadn't yet raised her eyes to look at the doctor, even though he had launched into a lengthy explanation of Koril's condition. She maintained a tight grip on his hand, and with her other hand, she lightly ran her fingers through his hair. Deathly motionless save for the slow, mechanical breathing, he was still in one of his nicer uniforms, though the evidence of his imprisonment by the Huxnel was obvious: rings of torn skin where binders had cut into his wrists, bruises on his arms seen through his ragged, ripped sleeves, and just general filth picked up by the fine uniform fabric after having been thrown about the Huxnel's dirty flagship. Though it had been mere minutes since they had found him, Elena's eyes were already red and puffy, and the only sound she made was a small, intermittent sniffle. Mand listened to the doctor intently, though, attempting to grasp every bit of information she could.

"So when my assistant Nimier, whom I see you've all met, returned to me with both Koril and Horatio in such a state," Dr. Vil continued, "I had very little to go by, other than what Horatio had told me during the brief conversation we had. After doing some initial tests, the difference between their conditions was easy to see: the virus had taken hold of Koril, but I could find no such trace of any kind of virus in Horatio. It was clear that Koril's predicament was much more dire than Horatio's, and as such, I focused on him immediately.

"Very quickly, I discovered the virus that was attacking Koril's neural system. Though I still don't fully understand its purpose or its mechanics, I at least was able to see its devastating effects and began working on an antidote straight away. During those first few days, Koril's condition deteriorated so rapidly that I was forced to put him in an induced coma to slow his systems down. I think the intense stress the virus spread throughout his body caused severe damage to almost every organ and every functioning system. Lowering his core temperature and putting his brain at rest has hopefully prevented any further damage...but until I can finish the antidote and rid his body of the virus...we won't know how extensive the damage will be until after he wakes up."

"How close is the antidote?" Mand asked cautiously, briefly glancing at Elena for her reaction. To Mand's surprise, Elena moved little, though her brows tightened together as she breathed shakily, lowering her gaze briefly.

"I've nearly perfected it," Dr. Vil reported with a hint of pride. "I expect to complete my last round of testing within the next few days, and then it would have to be replicated to an appropriate amount to remove the virus. The replication, unfortunately, may take more time. I just don't have the proper equipment here to quickly produce it in large quantities."

Mand looked back up at the doctor. "How much time?"

Though Bith had very little facial expression with which to convey emotions, Mand read his body language as his shoulders sagged the slightest bit, genuinely regretful. "A week or more, I'm afraid."

"He doesn't have that long," Elena said with a weak, broken voice. "His life force is fading..."

Without thinking, Mand's gaze fell on Rech, whose expression seemed to sadden as though suddenly burdened. She hadn't meant to look at him with such expectation, but he determinedly set his jaw and released a slow breath, stepping up behind Elena.

"I am a Jedi Healer," he stated softly. "I may be able to help."

Dr. Vil nodded politely at Rech, but his attention was quickly diverted as Zanti stepped away from them, approaching another bed nearby where a brown-haired man lay curled up on his side. He had many fewer monitors than Koril, but from across the room, Mand could tell that he was shaking. Judging by Zanti's pained expression as she moved to stand beside him, it had to be Horatio Sheridan. She looked back to the doctor, remembering the datapad they had found in the wrecked Huxnel ship on Umgul.

"Horatio left a message that he had given himself the antidote to an older version of the virus, and he had hoped you could use it as a template for Koril's virus. Your assistant must have missed it." As she looked back over to him, she sighed. "Must have caused problems since the antidote had no virus to destroy."

Stepping over to him, Dr. Vil again nodded. "That would explain the abnormal proteins I found in his blood." Looking back up, the doctor addressed his assistant, who had warily kept his distance from the four. "It should be easy enough to treat him, Nimier, now that we know what we're to do. Get to work on filtering his blood."

"Yes, Doctor," Nimier answered quietly, stepping over toward the bed while glancing at Rech and Mand briefly. As she made a mental note to apologize to him later, Dr. Vil returned to her.

"Would Horatio know more about this virus that Koril has? Anything else he could share that might help?"

Initially Mand looked to Elena, but unable to get any kind of response from her, she turned to Rech. He shrugged apologetically, but Mand felt the same. "I don't know. We're not quite sure what all he'd be able to tell us."

Dr. Vil nodded understandingly, but surprising everyone, it was Elena who broke through the tense silence.

"Then speed it up and find out."

Though Mand leveled a concerned expression at her, Elena maintained her blank gaze on Koril, ignoring the others. Mand looked sadly at Rech, troubled by the choice he was having to make. Concentrating his efforts on treating Horatio, he'd have to leave Koril to his deteriorating condition. Unsure that it was the right move, Mand stepped up behind Elena slowly.

"Elena..."

"Just do it," she answered quickly with her face hidden from them, her entire body trembling. "If saving Horatio will save Koril...then do it."

Feeling Elena's tattered emotions, but also curious what Horatio may know, Mand sighed sadly as she turned back to Rech and walked with him over to the other bed. Zanti silently stepped out of the way, allowing Rech to stand beside Horatio, opposite Nimier, as he placed a hand on his shoulder and began to concentrate.

Though already mentally fatigued, Mand stood at Rech's side and closed her eyes, concentrating with him as she grasped his hand. She allowed the Force to flow from her to him, providing him with additional energy that enhanced his efforts. Nimier had the equipment set up and ready to begin the filtering, and as Rech's initial work slowed and eventually stopped Horatio's shaking, the two men turned Horatio to his back and began settling him for the next phase of his treatment.

As Mand opened her eyes and looked down on him, though, she blinked several times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She was very sure that on the bed in front of her was her old partner Jespir Carrx, but the only name she had heard for him was Horatio. Dumbfounded, she tried to force the confusion out of her voice, though she wasn't entirely successful.

"This...is Horatio Sheridan?"

Across from her, Zanti nodded sadly, but focused intensely on his face, she hadn't noticed the expression on Mand's. Rech, however, picked up on her baffled thoughts, looking at her with concern.

"Why? What is it?"

Fumbling for something to say as they all turned their attention to her, Mand corrected her expression and shrugged nonchalantly, desperate to divert attention from herself. "Wasn't what I expected. He doesn't look like the Huxnel type."

Zanti's eyes were sad as she again looked down at him, stepping back as Nimier hooked up tubes to Horatio's arm that began to draw out his blood. "I don't think he ever was," she said quietly. "He sure went through a lot of trouble to rescue your friend."

As Rech resumed his concentration, Mand nodded at Zanti, refraining from responding. She knew what Jespir--Horatio had done in the past, as she had been with him for most of it. Anxious, she swallowed dryly as she, too, looked at him, doing her best to maintain a neutral expression. Once the others had gotten enough information out of him about the virus, she would have plenty of questions of her own for him.

* * *

Finally freed from his mental prison, Horatio was briefly glad to feel pain, but the novelty quickly wore off as his head pounded fiercely, nearly making him sick. He brought a weak hand to his forehead, uncertain how long he had been completely unconscious. Somehow incapacitated by the antidote he had given himself before he left the _Vandal_, Horatio had been unable to move, see, or speak, but he could still hear everything that had gone on around him. He heard Occar and Zanti finding him, Nimier bringing him to Agamar, and Dr. Vil sighing constantly as he worked on Koril's virus. At some point, though, he had lost consciousness, but as his senses returned to him, he began to feel a little overwhelmed. The room smelled the same as it had when Nimier brought him and Koril there, stale and sterile, but something else was different...

Opening his eyes with an effort, Horatio saw three blurred figures hovering over him. Blinking despite keeping his eyes squinted in the room's bright light, he finally got his eyes to focus, and eventually, he recognized the faces. Zanti was the first person he noticed, but opposite her were two he hadn't expected to see: Rech and Mand Natiyr.

"...hi," he said in a rough tone that matched the dazed expression on his face. Zanti's eyes lit up, but Rech and Mand's faces were fairly blank. Horatio's gaze lingered on Mand, though, as her eyes narrowed at him, and he expected as much.

"Welcome back," Rech said calmly. Horatio's pounding head hardly allowed him to respond.

"What are you doing here?" he weakly directed at them all. Not surprising him, Mand responded dryly.

"We should be asking you the same question."

He had to close his eyes, though, as his headache intensified and was no longer pacified by massaging his temple. "Why does my head hurt so bad?"

Again Mand answered, but this time, her voice was softer, almost resigned. "Because you're insane."

"What?"

"You've been unconscious for a while," Rech explained coolly. "Putting that antidote into your bloodstream without a virus for it to act on caused an adverse reaction and eventually forced your brain to shut down. But don't worry. I was able to help remove every last particle."

Still groggy, he tried to process what Rech had said. "You...remov--how--oh..." He felt like an idiot, finally recalling Rech's occupation. Willing his mind to function, he opened his eyes again, looking at the three.

Rech continued placidly. "I repaired your systems, as well. Aside from fatigue, you should be just fine."

Blinking, he eventually realized what had transpired while he was out. Almost ashamed, he allowed his expression to fall as he stared up at the ceiling, avoiding their gazes.

"...you didn't have to do that for me."

"What are you talking about?" Zanti asked as she finally spoke up. "Of course they did. You brought their friend back to them." She leaned over him and kissed him on the cheek with a small smile, lightly tracing the side of his face with her fingers. His mind was racing with panic, though, and thinking quickly, he released a shaky breath as he gazed at Zanti.

"I'm cold," he said simply, and kissing him on the cheek again, Zanti stepped back, glancing around the room.

"I'll go find you a blanket, then." As she walked away, Rech returned to business.

"Once you get to feeling a little better, we'll be asking you some questions. Start trying to remember all you can about that virus Koril's got." Getting a short nod from him, Rech left, too, walking over to stand beside Elena who was seated at Koril's side.

Seeing Elena so heavily pregnant surprised Horatio. Had he really been unconscious that long? He knew she was at least five months along the last time he had seen her, and even from across the room, she looked to be rapidly approaching her due date.

So, it had to have been roughly three months since he had left the _Vandal_, and he figured he had to at least have been conscious for the majority of it. Though he looked absolutely terrible, Koril was still alive, much to Horatio's amazement, having endured the virus the entire time. Lost in thought, he had almost forgotten that Mand was still standing beside him, but she shifted into his line of sight, catching his gaze.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked her hoarsely but sincerely. Mand's expression was grim as she remained silent, though, something else apparently on her mind. He already knew what her issue with him was. Despite narrowing her eyes at him again and crossing her arms, she looked more confused than angry.

"You never cease to surprise me, _Horatio._"

His expression darkened. "Don't start with me." He already knew all her aliases, her numerous lives she's had; his alter ego was nothing compared to the duality she embodied. Seeming genuinely astonished, her voice was almost...sympathetic as she continued softly.

"Why? Why after all these years... Why now?"

Feeling his pounding headache returning, Horatio closed his eyes, shutting out her pitying gaze. He didn't need to deal with this, not right now. Sighing feebly, he gave the shortest answer he could.

"Because like you...somebody changed me."

A long silence followed, but Mand persisted, keeping her voice low. "And who was that?"

Though his thoughts instantly turned to Zanti, she wasn't the one responsible for his conversion. Still with his eyes closed, he weakly rolled onto his side away from Mand, gripping his arms to keep them warm as he feigned attempting to sleep.

"Nobody you know."


	12. Chapter 12

It had been nearly three hours since the three Jedi and Zanti had arrived on Agamar, and tired from their long journey, Dr. Vil had lowered the lights in the room to allow them all to rest. After Horatio had turned away from Mand, he easily faked sleeping, even when Zanti brought a blanket back to him and covered him with it. He was exhausted, despite Rech's efforts, but knowing he didn't have much time left to hang around, he had to do his best.

Slowly opening one eye, he saw Zanti curled up on a chair beside him, sleeping soundly in their darker corner of the room. He waited a brief moment, making sure she stayed asleep, then lifted and turned his head back to the middle of the room, checking on the others. Elena was still seated beside Koril's bed, but with her upper body leaned over it and her arms crossed under her head, she also seemed to be sleeping, as did Rech, who was reclining on his side in a large cot nearby. He didn't see Mand anywhere, but she was probably resting in a similar cot like Rech's on the other side of Koril. Dr. Vil was still working in his lab across the hall, Horatio surmised, seeing the bright white light from it filtering in, but hopefully, the good doctor was the only person Horatio would face.

As carefully and as silently as he could, he tugged the blanket off him and watched Zanti closely, making sure that his movement hadn't roused her. Still, she slept softly, and finally easing himself down and standing from his bed, he kept his boots soundless as he made his way out of the room, quietly stepping across the hall to the lab.

Taking a brief moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the drastic change in light, Horatio looked around the lab warily, but thankfully, Dr. Vil was nowhere to be seen. Littered among various tools and instruments he had never seen before, he instantly spotted what he was looking for, sitting out in the open on the doctor's desk. After pausing just a brief moment to listen and make sure no one was around, he snatched them up and stuffed them into his pocket. A nice but worn flight jacket rested on the back of a chair beside him, and knowing he'd need it, he grabbed it, too, pulling it around himself. As he tugged it on, he noticed something in one of its pockets, and reaching a hand in to determine what it was, an idea came to him. Looking over various vials of drugs and medicines on the doctor's shelves, Horatio grabbed one and inspected it, deciding it was what he wanted. He was almost ready to go, prepared just in case...

Stepping back out into the hallway, Horatio looked up and down it, listening intently before venturing out. Still hearing no one, he quieted his steps as he descended the stairs, keeping a hand on his pocket to keep its contents from clinking together as he walked. He turned down one last dark, narrow hallway, seeing the building's main entrance door just ahead, but he jumped as someone behind him spoke.

"Going somewhere?"

Whirling around to face her, Horatio felt his heart trying to beat out of his chest as he saw Mand stepping up behind him in the shadow of the hallway. "Blast it, Kil!!" Willing his pulse to calm, he consciously slowed his breathing, watching her warily. Her eyes narrowed as she stood in front of him, turning him so they both had their backs against the corridor's walls.

"You know my real name," she said in a low voice. Though still far from composed after she had startled him, outwardly he controlled everything well, even his voice.

"Sorry," he answered with a sarcastic sting. "You've got so many, I forget which one to use."

She didn't waste any time with his antics, though. "Where are you going?"

"Home. Thanks to your..._man_," he barely managed to say, "seems I'm fit enough to leave. I know you'll get the message to them, so tell them that I know about as much about Koril's virus as you do, sorry."

Her expression changed little. "Leaving without saying goodbye. Touching."

"Don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you know how I am with goodbyes." A strange look rolled over her eyes briefly, but she corrected it quickly, holding her hand out to him expectantly, palm up. Horatio blinked.

"What? You want me to pay for your boy's services? That's not very charitable. Fresh out of credits, anyway."

Her eyes narrowed and intensified, her voice tense. "What did you take from the doctor's desk?"

Sighing, he held her gaze for a long moment before he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small vials, filled with a dark red liquid. She glanced at them, but her expression remained, forcing him to explain aloud.

"Vials of my own blood," he answered resignedly. "I don't leave anything behind if I can help it. I'd ask Dr. Vil to put it back in, but you know...he's got a full schedule." Though he knew she was a Jedi and could possibly tell if he were lying, he _was_ telling her the truth, just not all of it...

Eventually his partial honesty was enough to win her over, and she dropped her hand, crossing her arms over her chest instead. He stuffed the vials back into his pocket, making sure to settle them carefully so as to not make it obvious there were other things there. She was focused on his face, though, making it easy for him to slip his other hand into his jacket pocket.

"Why did you bring him here? Why here, and not to us?"

Somewhat surprised by the change in direction, Horatio leveled an annoyed expression at her. "Look, if I had known this was going to be an interrogation, I'd have left a lot earlier."

"Just answer the question."

As he held her gaze, the slightest sense of guilt began to build in the back of his mind, forcing his posture to sag. He sighed and looked down and away from her, clenching his jaw. "...it's complicated."

"So uncomplicate it."

He only shook his head, still looking to the floor. "You don't want to know."

"Oh, okay," she returned his sarcasm, "I guess I'll just stop asking questions, then."

"I mean it, Kil." Raising his gaze, he met her eyes with a dark expression. "You're getting nothing else out of me."

After a long moment, a wave of realization passed over her face, followed quickly by anger and a hint of fear. "You're still working for them, aren't you?" Again, he shook his head, letting his expression fade.

"No, it's not like that."

"Then what?" she asked with exasperation. "You don't make _any_ sense..."

Taking in a slow breath, he crossed his arms, too, holding her gaze. "Like I said...it's complicated. You wouldn't believe me, anyway."

"Try me."

Though he mentally debated for a long moment and even opened his mouth to explain, he stopped himself, allowing genuine regret to saturate his features. "Sorry. Can't."

Mand's expression was almost sad as she looked at him, seeming to pick up on his own inner battle. "Something's changed," she continued softly. "You've never been this conflicted before."

Glancing up and down the hallway to again divert her attention, Horatio kept his voice low as he fumbled with the contents of his jacket pocket. "I haven't had this much to do before. I don't exactly have a lot of free time."

She only looked more confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I have to leave."

"You know they have you figured out, branded a fugitive and traitor. Where else can you go? Where are you running to?"

Looking back to her, he sported a confused expression of his own. "Well, I'm certainly not sticking around with you four, that's for sure. No offense."

"I'm serious," she said with obvious concern for him. "Where are you going?"

She had come full circle, gone through almost every emotion for him. Her sudden sincere worry for his wellbeing had him somewhat confused, and his guilt was compounding exponentially the longer he stood there. But seeing a way out, he concealed his hand as he pulled it from his jacket pocket, softening his eyes as he posed a quiet question of his own to her.

"Why do you care?"

They locked gazes for a long, silent moment before Mand swallowed dryly, her voice subdued.

"Because you've saved my friends more than once." She paused and released a slow breath, her eyes sad. "And because a long time ago, you protected your partner from a fatal explosion that should've killed us both."

After several intense, motionless moments, Horatio stepped closer to Mand slowly, watching her expression as he inclined his head. She looked alarmed at first, but as he brought his hands to the base of her neck and swept his lips up to meet hers, she didn't move. The kiss was sweet, and he could tell she gave back the slightest bit before he pressed his wrist harder into her neck...

Before he even realized what had happened, Horatio was blasted backward against the wall behind him, knocking the hypodermic injector that had been in his hand to the floor. His head hit the wall hard, too, but blinking the blurriness away as quickly as he could, he saw the shocked expression on Mand's face slowly fall as the sedative he had just given her took effect. Regaining his balance from her powerful Force Push, Horatio leveled a dark look at her, watching her sink wordlessly down the wall to the floor.

"_Now_ we're even," he said with a low voice, answering her question she had posed to him months ago aboard the _Vandal_. "Maybe someday I'll explain why, but right now...you don't want to have anything to do with me."

As he watched her slump over limply, he listened for any sign of her friends coming to her aid, but the building remained completely silent. He briefly rubbed his forehead, trying to suppress a returning headache, but taking one last glance at Mand on the floor, he turned and left, walking out of the building into the frigid early morning air.

* * *

Waking up to a strange feeling, Rech immediately looked around the room, alarmed. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stood up quickly, checking Koril's vitals. The monitor still beeped rhythmically, announcing his slow but steady heartbeat, and the machine that breathed for him clicked on and off as it had for hours. Elena slept lightly beside Koril, and though she looked uncomfortable, she seemed to be okay. Again looking around the room, Rech noticed the two people missing: Mand and Horatio.

_Mand?_

Reaching out with the Force, Rech searched the building as he sent a brief message to her. He sensed her downstairs, but understanding the reason for his alarm, Mand didn't respond. In a panic, he dashed out of the room and down the stairs, using the Force to guide him through the dark maze. Finally finding her motionless on the floor in a hallway, he knelt beside her, gently turning her onto her back. He brushed her hair out of her face, searching her briefly for any kind of injury. Seeing nothing that would worry him, he placed his palm lightly on her forehead, probing her mind with the Force to figure out why she lay there unconscious.

Though not necessarily injured, he could tell her mind had been...slowed, as though drugged. Doing what he could to bring her around, he watched her intently as she slowly began to move, fluttering her eyes and groaning.

"Mand? Mand, what happened?" he asked with bated anxiety, stroking her forehead. She was still fighting the sluggishness as she finally spoke.

"Jespir..." she said under her breath. Unsure what she said, Rech again called her name, and seeming to come to more fully, she blinked as she looked up at him, confused. His brows furrowed in intense concern, he held her hand tightly.

"Mand, what happened to you?" While she tried to sort it out herself, Rech thought back. "...where's Horatio?"

Realization passed over her face, and finally finding her voice, she answered quietly. "He's gone." Rech's expression intensified.

"_He_ did this to you?" She nodded with a conflicted look in her eyes, forcing Rech to take in a slow breath to calm his anger. He wanted to ask her more questions, but seeing her perplexed expression, he decided against it. She needed more time to recover before he bombarded her, and he had to work on controlling his rage, focusing instead on her.

Supporting her around her back, he helped her sit up and eventually stand up, walking with her back upstairs. Though she gripped his hand tightly, she was silent the whole way, her gaze firmly locked on the floor in front of her. This confrontation had really rattled her; he could feel her shock and confusion as though she were making no effort to hide it. Even as he brought her into the main room and sat her down on a small bench, crouching in front of her, she looked stunned, her eyes unfocused.

"Mand, what happened?"

Finally meeting his eyes, she released a shaky breath. "I saw him sneak out of here while everyone was asleep, so I confronted him. He...he knocked me out with something..."

Despite their voices being low, Elena woke from her sleep and looked over at them with a curious gaze. After briefly checking Koril, she stood awkwardly, putting a hand on her back as she stepped toward them. Catching a glimpse of Rech's concern, Elena's grogginess quickly disappeared as she stood behind him, looking at Mand worriedly.

"How did he get close enough to inject it, though?" Rech asked, inspecting a bruise at the base of Mand's neck. She winced as he gently put his hand over it, but it was quickly replaced by a strange anxiety, one that confused Rech.

"He was quick," she said with a weak voice. "He caught me off guard." Unsure how to read her expression or how to interpret her reaction, he pressed on.

"What did he say?"

Closing her eyes briefly as she released a long breath, her face contorted further, as though pained. "He made it sound as though he were...trying to protect me. But from what, I don't know. He didn't say much."

Rech brushed her cheek with his fingers in an effort to comfort her, but she seemed to cringe slightly, worrying him more. She even avoided his gaze, staring at the floor silently. Rech had begun to ask her another question when an anxious voice echoed in from the hallway.

"No...no no no no, where are they??"

They heard someone rummaging through shelves and containers frantically, and a few loud crashes reverberated through the room, finally waking Zanti. Confused at not seeing Horatio, Zanti crawled out of her chair and started to walk over to join them, but had to dodge Nimier who flew into the room. Wondering what had Nimier so upset, Rech stood and turned his attention to the frenzied assistant.

"Is something wrong?"

Having just closed a container that housed several vials of a dark liquid, Nimier looked up at Rech and the other three behind him with fearful eyes and a haunted expression. His voice shook noticeably, unnerving Rech.

"The vials of Koril's antidote... They're _gone_."


	13. Chapter 13

"Gone! What do you mean, gone!"

Though still in shock from her earlier encounter, Mand stood from her seat in an instant, breathless as she listened to Nimier fumble over his words, beside himself as he tried to answer Elena.

"I-I I left them there...on the table... Getting ready for the last test! I had t-to go find...the doctor's tools... I wasn't away more than five minutes!! They're gone, both of them...the only working batches..."

As realization set in, Mand felt the color drain from her face completely. She _had_ seen him take them...and she had foolishly believed his lie and let him go.

"It was Horatio," she said blankly as an icy pang of guilt wrenched her hard. Elena turned to face her with a harsh expression, barely restraining her outrage.

"You saw him take them, and you didn't stop him??"

Frozen in fear and regret, Mand was speechless, though she knew she deserved her friend's anger. Standing beside Elena, Rech put a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her. He was still turned to Nimier, though, and desperately sought some way to diffuse the situation.

"Can't more be made, though?"

It took Nimier a moment to gather his words. "He has notes, but Dr. Vil will have to start from scratch. Then more testing, more time, more replication..."

"Koril doesn't _have_ time!! Don't you get it??" Again leveling a dark, resentful gaze at Mand, Elena threw the most bitter words at her she had ever said to her, her eyes filling with angry tears. "You _want_ Koril to die, don't you! You've done nothing but divert us _everywhere_ but where his trail led! You didn't want to find him, so we crossed the galaxy three times, and you allowed the only thing that could save him to disappear! You want him _dead_!!"

Rech rebuked her, but as Elena forcefully flung his hand off her shoulder, Mand tried to plead, shedding remorseful tears of her own.

"_No, _Elena, I--"

Without warning, Mand felt a powerful blow hit her in the stomach as she was launched backward by a Force Push from Elena. She landed hard with her back against the wall behind her, feeling her previously injured shoulder break again from the sheer force of the impact. The sudden pain stole her breath, and as she again slid down the wall to the floor gripping her arm, she stared in wounded shock at her friend. Rech had pulled Elena into a tight embrace to subdue her, but his worried gaze was locked on Mand. Though still hardly able to breathe, Mand somehow was able to stand up again, holding her upper arm as she wordlessly left the room, walking on though she heard Rech calling to her repeatedly.

Mindlessly, she descended the main stairs, eventually making her way to the hallway she had just confronted Horatio in. Remembering the exchange sent chills down her spine, and she could feel her whole body trembling, intensifying her searing shoulder pain. How had she been so stupid? He had so easily, effortlessly made a fool of her, and because her mind was clouded and conflicted over him, her best friend was in jeopardy of losing her love and the father of her son. After all they had gone through to find him, it was Mand's mistake, her indiscretion that was going to rob Koril of his life and Elena of her happiness.

Unsure of how much worse she could feel, Mand continued on out of the building, instantly feeling the chill of Agamar's morning air. The planet's aging yellow sun was beginning to rise, but even amidst the beauty of the early dawn about to tumble over the lush, forested landscape, she only saw an empty sky, void of any sign of escaping craft. Horatio was long gone, and justly so, Mand's spirit was, as well.

Not conscious of how she got there, Mand found herself sitting at the _Celestia_'s controls, leaned over the console with one elbow supporting her upper body, her forehead in her palm. Her left hand lay useless in her lap, but completely numb to everything, she didn't even notice her injury anymore. Tears had long since ceased falling from her reddened eyes, though they had left bitter stains all over her cheeks. It seemed like she had been sitting in the ship for hours when she finally felt Rech's presence approaching, and thankfully, he was alone.

"Mand?" he called cautiously into the main hold. She heard his boots clicking on the durasteel floors, echoing up to her in the cockpit. She didn't move or acknowledge him, though, tensing as she heard and felt him approaching. He eventually came to a stop just behind her, watching her silently for a long moment. Though she heard no movement, she felt his hand lightly rest on her injured shoulder, but denying him the chance to heal her or even comfort her, she brushed his hand away.

"No," she hissed as her sudden movement brought on fresh pain. Rech still stood behind her, though, patient.

"Mand, _please._" His gentle voice broke through her defiance, and she lowered her head, tensing her shoulders as she anticipated his touch again. She took in a sharp breath as he covered the most tender spot, but just as it had countless times before, his cool healing radiated through her entire shoulder, once more mending her broken bones. With his steady hand on her, she again noticed her own shaking. If only Rech's soft, reassuring voice could tame it, as it usually would...

"Elena's calmed down. Dr. Vil still has the old antidote, so working from it will save him time from having to start over completely."

The old antidote, Mand thought bitterly, that ironically came from Horatio. How could he have done this? He had risked his life _twice _getting her off the _Vandal_, and somehow he had managed to smuggle Koril off the Huxnel flagship without so much as setting off alarms until after they noticed Koril was gone. Why had he contradicted himself? He hadn't answered her when she asked him why he had brought Koril to Dr. Vil instead of home to Paneau, but then...he hadn't actually answered _any_ of her questions she had asked him...

"Elena's right," Mand finally spoke at a whisper. Finished with her shoulder for the time being, Rech sat beside her, looking at her intently. Mand stared at the controls in front of her, though, not daring to look up at him. "Koril doesn't have time, and it's my fault."

In response, Rech gently took hold of her hand, locking her fingers with his. "Mand," he pleaded softly, "_what happened_?"

Meeting his gaze briefly, she felt her trembling return as she released a shaky breath, trying to find a way to explain. Her voice was rough and hoarse, but she continued as best she could.

"I saw him take them from the doctor's desk... And when I asked him about it, he showed me two vials, saying they contained his blood. And I believed him." She paused, trying to find her voice again. "I should've known... That was the one question he answered directly; he dodged the rest. But I don't understand... Why go through all that trouble to get Koril away from them, and then do this?" Again holding her head in her hand, Mand released an exasperated breath, doing her best to ignore the pain in her shoulder. "It doesn't make any sense."

"You're right, it doesn't."

As Mand turned her head to look at Rech, she felt tears returning to her eyes. How could he sit there so calmly...

"You can't tear yourself up over this, Mand." Instantly, her face contorted into disbelief.

"How can you say that? Because of me, Koril is going to die--"

"No, he won't," Rech answered immediately. "I won't let him."

His confidence was reassuring, but not enough to subdue her guilt. It was eating her up, worsening her state of mind. She couldn't withhold it from him forever, no matter how much she wanted to...

The words that escaped her lips didn't sound like her own, even though she knew they came from her. In a surreal haze, she hardly moved.

"He kissed me," she breathed. "That's how he was able to distract me long enough to sedate me."

Though he had been tightly holding her hand before, Mand felt his grip release, and she didn't need to look at him to know his expression. She could feel it, the betrayal turning his feelings ice cold. Even the morning sunlight that washed the cockpit in warm oranges and yellows wasn't able to melt the sudden chill that had gripped her.

Without another word, Rech stood from her and left the ship, masking his feelings from her as he went. She deserved as much, she knew, but she only fell deeper into despair, to the point where she no longer felt connected to anyone. She again sat alone for what seemed like hours, mulling everything over in her head repeatedly, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. It wasn't until she glanced back into the main cabin that she realized...she shouldn't be so alone in the ship.

...where were the droids?

Standing from her seat in a panic, she began her search, anxiously hunting through every room. Nothing seemed out of place, but even after calling for them, she only heard her own footsteps echoing about. Every room, every floor was empty, but there was one place she hadn't yet looked...

Climbing down a narrow set of stairs into a small cargo hold in the belly of the ship, Mand about fell over in relief, finding Kaydee powered down in a corner. At least, she hoped the protocol droid was just powered down. Making her way through a maze of cargo boxes, she finally stepped over to Kaydee and flipped the switch at her neck, holding her breath in anticipation.

Immediately, Kaydee's eye receptors lit up and glowed their usual golden yellow, and her voice echoed loudly through the small room as she moved her arms about.

"--ease do not terminate me--oh... Mistress Mand! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"I'm fine, Kaydee, are you okay?"

The droid seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. "My circuits appear to be intact, yes, though I must say, I am most surprised."

"What happened?"

"Eewon and I were guarding the ship, I assure you, but a man came aboard and ordered me down into here. I would not have obeyed, Mistress Mand, but Eewon himself forced me! He mentioned something about a secret mission, that I would be safer if I remained here, but I am afraid I do not know what he was talking about. Clearly he has some wires crossed somewhere, in league with that stranger. I thought for sure the man was going to destroy me."

Mand blinked. Eewon left with Horatio _voluntarily_? That didn't make any sense. Nothing did.

Trying to process everything, Mand thought back to what Horatio had last said to her. _"Maybe someday I'll explain why, but right now...you don't want to have anything to do with me._"The words echoed through her mind like a defeating insult, but trying to read more into them, she sat on a nearby cargo box, deep in thought.

_Someday_, he had said. Was he expecting to run into her again? Mentally, she laughed at the prospect, sure that he knew full well she'd try to kill him the next time she saw him. But then another thought occured to her... Why had he simply sedated her when he had ample opportunity to kill her instead and keep her off his trail? He knew her capabilities; he had seen her at her strongest under the Dark Side, and he had to know the wrath he would bring upon himself for what he had done, but he easily got her defenses down to nothing...then let her live?

Maybe he just didn't have access to a toxin or posion that would kill her. But surely he could've found something more potent in Dr. Vil's lab if he had just looked hard enough. Maybe he didn't have enough time, though, rushed to leave while under the watch of three Jedi. He did, however, have enough time to herd Kaydee down into the cargo hold, taking Eewon with him as he left...

And he had spared Kaydee, as well. The talkative droid had to have spoken her mind as she was being marched to her death, or so she thought. Though Kaydee had many endearing qualities, her constant talking wasn't one of them. She had to have gotten on Horatio's nerves, enough to have warranted destroying her. There were plenty of weapons stored throughout the ship he could've blasted her with if he had wanted to, but she hadn't a mark on her. Though condemning Koril to die, Horatio had left both Kaydee and Mand in nearly the same state as he had encountered them. It just didn't make sense...something else had to be going on.

And this secret mission Eewon had talked about? He had to have just been telling Kaydee something to keep her somewhat cooperative, but then again, he was a strange little droid. Elena claimed he had downloaded all kinds of well-protected information from the Huxnel base on Sump, but he couldn't have...could he?

"Mistress Mand?"

Kaydee's voice startled her, but looking back up at the droid blankly, she continued. "Are the others alright? Have you found Master Koril?"

Blinking away her stupor, Mand realized they hadn't been back to the ship since they had landed, nor had they informed the droids of what they had found.

"Yeah, we found Koril," she said quietly. "But he...he's very ill." Kaydee nodded calmly in understanding.

"Because of the virus that you spoke of earlier?" After Mand agreed, Kaydee looked down, her voice saddened. "Oh dear, that is very troubling, indeed." Again, Mand nodded, and realizing there were others in need of an update back on Paneau, as well, Mand stood, beckoning Kaydee to follow her back up into the cockpit. She sat at the controls again and cued up the comm, sending a brief encrypted message to the Rys'tihn Manor. It didn't say much, and she fainlty hoped they wouldn't respond requesting more information.

Sitting back in the seat briefly, Mand looked out the viewport, noticing a small settlement just a day's walk away. They were running low on supplies in the ship, and they were missing a few vital pieces of equipment, as well, ones that she knew were going to be needed soon. Fumbling in her pocket, she found a few credits, hopefully enough to get what she needed. Looking at the droid faithfully standing behind her, Mand stood.

"Come on, Kaydee, we have some shopping to do."


	14. Chapter 14

Though he had done everything he could think of to help Koril, Rech's efforts were proving to be worthless. He had kept a constant vigil at Koril's side, along with Elena, and only to eat and sleep briefly had he put his healing on hold. As the days wore on, however, Koril's condition continued to deteriorate, and knowing that he was the last resort, the only thing keeping Koril alive while Dr. Vil worked on creating a new antidote, Rech could hardly stand the tension.

It had been nearly a week and a half since they had arrived on Agamar, and it had almost been that long since he had seen his wife Mand. After she told him what had happened between her and Horatio...he pulled himself away from her, hurt as he hadn't been in a long time. She, too, had avoided them, remaining nearby in the _Celestia_ alone. Elena had been just as silent, numbly giving him one-word answers if at all possible. Their turmoil was enough to drive any respectable Jedi into the depths of the Dark Side, and if Koril didn't survive...Rech feared there was no way he could save either of them.

Listening intently during the lengthy silence between Koril's assisted breaths, Rech watched Elena as she whispered softly to Koril, lightly caressing his face with her fingers, her face mere inches from his.

"_I know you can hear me... You have to come back to me. Remember? You promised. I can't do this without you, I need you. I'm waiting for you. I'm right here."_

But in response, Koril's life signs continued to drop, his heart rate slowing to even more dangerous levels. Already exhausted from his week-long efforts, though, Rech could do little more. With a pained expression, Elena stood from her hunched position and leaned over Koril, kissing him gently on the forehead. She left wordlessly, slowly walking across the hall to the lab where she checked on Dr. Vil's progress for the umpteenth time that day.

Rech sighed, watching her leave and focusing on her large stomach. She carried the weight uncomfortably in her thin frame, and the constant stress hadn't allowed her to stay very healthy. Having hardly left Koril's side at all since they had arrived, she diverted most of her energy to keeping herself from getting stiff after sitting for so long, and to controlling her early contractions, the latter of which was getting the better of her.

Looking down at Koril, Rech swallowed hard, saddened by the way everything had played out. Though he knew the journey was going to be hard when they left Paneau months ago, he hadn't expected to face such...trials. He had enjoyed the quiet, quality time he was able to spend with Mand, but now he could hardly bear to think of her. He hadn't thought her so prone to infidelity, and even if she had been, he would've expected something to have happened while he was gone, not while he slept mere meters above her head. Her confession had hurt him so deeply, and the pain was compounded by the fact that Koril was the one who was going to suffer the worst consequences for her vulnerability. Even if Rech could keep him alive long enough for Dr. Vil to finish the antidote, he worried Koril would already be too far gone, having endured too much damage to recover from.

Sighing, Rech mentally kicked himself for not having seen it sooner. Thinking back, he remembered the look Mand had on her face when she first saw Horatio on that bed...she had to have already known him. Was he an old friend, a former lover? She had never mentioned him before, but when Rech had brought her around from the sedative, she had said the name "Jespir" with a strange sort of longing in her voice, a pain of loss almost. Another man he had never heard of before. But were they the same person, this Jespir and Horatio?

Feeling severe anger and jealousy welling up within him, Rech instead turned his thoughts in a different direction. Back in his days at the Jedi Academy, Master Noor had always told him to look at a problem from two separate angles. Often, Noor would say, the answer lies on the complete opposite end of your own thinking, and therefore, a Jedi should never approach a conflict with a narrow mind. So in an attempt to do so, Rech tried to look at things from Horatio's perspective.

Having escaped detection by the Huxnel numerous times, as Elena had said of him, Horatio had to have a level head, able to think quickly in intense, dangerous situations. Elena had mentioned his sarcastic wit before, so it seemed he was able to carry himself well no matter whom he came into contact with, and he probably had smooth talked his way out of a few problems before. He had outsmarted the Huxnel, so how much harder could it have been to overcome a few distracted Jedi?

Elena was vulnerable because of her pregnancy, but she could still hold her own well, if her angry attack on Zanti was any indication. For all Horatio knew of Rech, though, the previously dark spirited Jedi could easily kill him with a flick of his wrist if he wanted. No, he had to have known that Mand would be his easiest target. She already knew him, and he could use that to his advantage. He knew she'd be watching him for any sign of a problem, and getting her away from the others, he could subdue her without creating a scene. He'd use their history to break down her guard, defeating her with little more than a needle.

Strangely, though, the more Rech thought about it...the more he began to feel at peace with it. Had Horatio been more ambitious, or had he gotten caught in a corner where he felt threatened, the outcome could have been much, much worse. He was obviously a resourceful mercenary, and had things gone differently, he could have inflicted severe injuries on any of them at his choosing. After a few more moments considering his thoughts, he was almost thankful for the way things had gone. Though Koril's predicament remained dire, there still was a chance that he could make it, and all Rech could do was what he had been doing before, keeping Koril's heart beating while his own still ached.

He had resumed his healing efforts for a couple of minutes when he heard a strange noise filter into the room from the lab. It sounded almost like Elena had cried out in pain, but it was more subdued, more surprised than anything. Concerned, Rech kept a hand on Koril as he stepped back, looking across the hall. Before he could say anything, he saw Dr. Vil escorting Elena back into the room, holding one of her hands and supporting her across her back with his other. The look on Elena's face was unreadable, but as she met Rech's gaze, he knew instantly what had happened.

"My water broke," she said shakily, confirming what he already knew. But even before Rech had ceased his healing on him, the monitors around Koril's head began beeping frantically, indicating his declining heart rate that was already dangerously low. With pained strides, Elena returned to Koril's side, stroking his cheek as she glanced up at the machines. Torn, but knowing that he had a duty to Elena and her baby first, Rech stepped around to her, gripping her by her shoulders to pull her away.

"No, no, not now," Elena protested sadly. "He's dying, no..."

Dr. Vil rushed up beside Koril, calling for Nimier. He looked up at Rech, though, speaking as confidently as he could. "I'll do what I can for him."

Rech nodded, still having to tug Elena away. She continued to struggle with him, trying to grasp Koril's hand.

"Elena, come on," directed gently. "Let's get you to the _Celestia_. You're having this baby _now_."

Though she tried to protest more, she eventually gave in, weeping softly as Rech led her away. He supported her as they walked, as well, his senses keenly focused on her son. If he could help it, he _was_ going to return to Paneau with a Rys'tihn, though which one, he didn't yet know.

* * *

Tugging at the makeshift arm sling she had crafted for herself out of some supplies she found in the nearby town to immobilize her shoulder, Mand again sat at the _Celestia_'s controls, awaiting a message from Paneau. Over the past week, she had been keeping brief correspondence with Vianne Banarecc, regularly checking on Cordira, whom she had placed in the care of nannies in the Rys'tihn Manor. Vianne was staying there briefly, too, helping Sol and Kander Gedall with all the other guests. Elena's parents and brother were there, as were a few of the Trislenas and the Gedall children. On one message, Vianne had even included a holo of Cordira, showing the almost one-year-old playing with her favorite stuffed tauntaun, an old gift from Elena. The image was bittersweet, both because of how much she missed her daughter, and because of how much she missed her best friend.

The rift between her and Elena had merit, she knew, and it tore her up knowing there was no way she could even try to apologize. How was she to go about reconciling such an obnoxiously foolish mistake, a mistake that was costing another dear friend his life? She had almost returned to the town numerous times and paid for transport home, but as much as she knew they hated her, she couldn't bring herself to leave them. Running away, as she had done before, would only make things worse, and though she knew there was little hope left for Koril...she had to at least attempt to convey her remorse somehow. She just didn't yet know what to do.

Breaking her from her thoughts, she suddenly felt both Rech and Elena approaching the ship. She felt panic and pain from both of them, and fearing that Koril had died, she stood to face them, ready to accept their attacks she deserved.

As the two came into view, though, it became immediately apparent what their panic was for. Rech was supporting Elena as she weakly ascended the ramp, having to stop briefly, though, as a painful contraction took hold of her. She didn't even seem strong enough to ease the pain of the contractions with the Force, let alone actually push when the time came. Mand's breath caught in her chest, though, as Rech looked up at her with a conflicted expression, his eyes full of hurt but care at the same time. She could sense he was still aching from her mistake, but a serene understanding also filled his heart, leading her to believe that he hadn't completely let go of her yet.

It was Elena's scathing words, though, that cut Mand to the quick.

"Stay away from me," she said darkly, and Rech again gave her a pained look as he led Elena to her bedroom. Breathless, Mand sat back down, devastated that her friend didn't even want her by her side through what looked to be a difficult delivery. If anything, she could be there to lend Elena energy and stamina to make it through, but she wasn't wanted.

Still anxious to do something, she stood and walked through the main cabin, stopping to stand just outside the door. She heard Rech softly directing Elena inside, but her only responses were muffled sobs and weak grunts. Rech was well experienced delivering children, having spent several months at various medical clinics about Dalon, but it was Elena's lack of concentration that was hindering the baby's birth.

A long, agonizing hour went by, and Mand could tell that Rech was becoming genuinely concerned for both mother and child. What she didn't expect, though, was Rech preparing to leave the room. She had only just stepped back far enough when he opened the door and met her, worry written all over his face. He shut it behind him quickly, looking at her with burdened eyes as he spoke quietly but intensely.

"I need you in there with me, Mand."

Mand only responded with a blank look, forcing Rech to continue. "I can't get Elena to focus. The contractions aren't doing anything anymore, she's exhausted, and she's not concentrating long enough to push well. The baby's becoming stressed; I can feel his heart fluctuating to both extremes, fast and slow. He can't take this much longer. I _need_ your help."

Releasing a shaky breath, Mand shook her head, looking past him at the door. "She doesn't want to see me." She met his gaze again, quieting her voice. "You don't, either."

At that, Rech sighed sadly, but maintained his intensity. "We can talk later, but right now...Elena needs her best friend."

Mand's expression visibly faltered. "Her best friend is lying on a bed back in that building."

"Mand..." Rech's deep, passionate eyes continued to plead earnestly, and again releasing a shaky breath, Mand finally nodded, hugging herself tightly as she slowly stepped toward the door. She reached a trembling hand to the door's panel, pressing it as a terrible fear gripped her. Surprising her, Rech put a hand lightly on her good shoulder, giving her at least a little confidence as she took a few steps inside, neutralizing her expression as Elena turned to face her.


	15. Chapter 15

Though Elena immediately leveled a threatening look at her, Mand somehow still found the courage to continue into the room, slowly walking up to stand beside her. Just as Rech had said, Elena looked exhausted, breathing heavily and covered in a thin sheen of sweat as she lay on a modified, angled medical bed Mand had bought in the settlement nearby. The bed was minimal at best, but it would serve its purpose well, providing Elena with a comfortable, semi-upright position that supported her back as she labored. As Mand tugged a small bench up beside her, Elena stared up at the ceiling, avoiding Mand's gaze.

"Go away," she said weakly between labored gasps. Mand swallowed dryly, looking Elena over briefly before she found her voice.

"I will," Mand answered, pained. When Elena looked back at her, though, expecting her to leave, Mand continued. "Once you have this baby."

Elena returned her gaze to the ceiling, her expression darkening. Feeling precious time slipping away from them and from the baby in distress, Mand again found her voice, shaky but quiet.

"Elena...I am so, so sorry. You know I love Koril as much as I love you. I would _never_ try to hurt him, and I would never try to keep you away from him." Attempting to fight off the tears she felt forming in her eyes, Mand looked down as she went on. "I just wanted to keep you and your son protected. I didn't want you to lose sight of your own safety and possibly lose the only thing that would keep you and Koril connected." Mand looked back up as she released a shaky breath. "I know you don't want to hear this right now, and I don't blame you. But I'm not going anywhere until I see your son in your arms."

To Mand's surprise, Elena's expression softened into sorrow. "You may as well have killed Koril yourself."

The tears Mand had been holding back finally fell, landing heavily on her lap. An icy, excruciating pain gripped her, but shoving it down as best she could, she stood and took Elena's hand carefully, looking down at her with an intense gaze.

"You don't want me here, I know. But right now, this isn't about you and me. This is about your _son._ He needs you. He can't survive without you."

Though Elena weakly tried to pull her hand away, Mand held tightly as tears began to flow down Elena's face, as well. "Koril's dying," she finally managed to say between sobs and gasps. "I should be there with him..."

Knowing she would regret it later but not caring, Mand unwound the sling off her neck and shoulder, freeing her other arm. Though stiff and very sore, she could still move it well, and picking up Elena's hand again, she brushed the matted hair from Elena's face with her free hand as she leaned over her, looking her square in the eyes.

"You cannot think about Koril right now. Dr. Vil is doing everything he can for him. Your focus _needs _to stay here, right here, in this room, do you understand?"

Sobbing a few more times before she closed her eyes, Elena put a hand on her stomach as she began to control and slow her breathing, seemingly determined to calm herself and redirect her energy. Mand looked up from her and nodded to Rech, who returned to his seat at Elena's feet.

"Remember that technique I taught you," Rech said softly, lifting the sheet that covered Elena to her knees. "Use the Force to sustain the push and lessen the pain. You've got a long way to go, but you can make quick work of it if you stay focused."

Shaking as she nodded, Elena gripped Mand's hand tightly, and Mand was only happy to offer her the support. She grabbed a small cloth from the shelf behind her, using it to dry the beads of sweat off Elena's forehead. Though Elena had a scared look on her face, she at least seemed like she was concentrating more, centering herself on what she needed to do.

Mand closed her eyes briefly, sharing with Elena what energy she could spare. Feeling the transfer, Elena glanced at Mand briefly with an unreadable expression on her face before she looked back down at her stomach, taking in slower breaths as she readied her body for the exertion. Rech and Mand exchanged silent glances, and Mand could see the concern in his eyes.

"Slow, deep breaths," Rech directed gently, "then I want you to push with the next contraction, okay?" Elena nodded, and after a few tense minutes, she took in a deep breath and held it, curling her back as she firmly squeezed Mand's hand to power through the contraction.

The scene repeated over and over, quickly draining Elena of more stamina as the minutes wore on. Mand kept a close watch on Elena's face, monitoring her friend's fatigue. Afraid there was little else she could do besides continually feed energy to her, she nervously looked at Rech, who had only spoken a few times over the half hour to give Elena guidance. He met her gaze after a moment, but surprising her, his eyes seemed hopeful.

"Just a few more, Elena," he said softly as he grabbed a few blankets and draped them over his lap. Watching him, Mand briefly allowed her thoughts to wander, amazed at how relaxed and composed he had been through the whole thing. Even with tensions high and complications poised to possibly cause problems, he had remained a steady calming force for Elena, keeping everything under control for her. Though Mand hadn't even been conscious for her own daughter's birth a year ago, she could only hope that her next child's birth would be so well-controlled...if she ever got the chance to have another.

"Oh," Elena breathed in sudden pain, bringing Mand back to her. Elena's hand squeezed hers so tightly, Mand knew she had to be nearing the hardest point of the delivery. Again stroking Elena's forehead, Mand continued to coach Elena's breathing, giving her another boost of energy through the Force.

After several hard contractions, Rech gave a small smile as he glanced up at Elena. "One last push."

Taking in a deep, focused breath to gather all the energy she had left, Elena again curled herself up as Mand brought her injured arm around her shoulders for support. It had been her longest effort yet, but she released and fell back limply against the bed, completely exhausted and again breathing heavily. Anxious, Mand thought Elena had given up, but looking to Rech, she saw him cradling the newborn, gently patting him dry with a soft towel. The tiny little boy had a head full of thick, dark hair, and he was a light pink color, moving his arms about without coordination. But as the quiet moments went by without a sound from the baby...Mand began to panic.

"Rech?" Mand asked worriedly as Elena, too, sat back up, concerned. Rech didn't answer, instead intensely focused on the boy, carefully massaging his little chest with his fingertips.

"Come on, come on," Rech pleaded under his breath, his brows deeply furrowed as tense seconds passed. Mand could tell he was beginning to panic, too, but he continued with grave concentration, willing the boy's small lungs to work...

_Finally_, a tiny but powerful cry echoed about the room, making Mand sink back down to the bench behind her in such heartfelt relief. She could feel Rech's relief, too, as he wrapped a fresh, warm blanket around the newborn, gently tucking his small arms into it. The boy continued to cry, demonstrating the strength of his slightly premature lungs as Rech stepped over to Elena's side, smiling as he placed him in her arms.

"Derek Aalon Rys'tihn," he said softly over the boy's cries. Comforted in his mother's arms, though, he calmed, making small, quiet grunts as he still had to lightly force air in and out of his chest. The expression on Elena's face was priceless as she looked over her son, full of wonder and love, and though her legs were still shaky, Mand stood and got a glimpse of him, too.

Even in the dimmed lighting of the room, Derek's bright green eyes glowed, open and fixated on Elena's face. Though he was tightly wrapped in the blanket, his fingers slowly flexed against his own cheek. All the tension of the past week seemed to disappear as Mand looked down on him, feeling the stress leave her as her tears flowed once again. The two of them looked so serene, so peaceful... Mand had only been happier the moment she held her own daughter for the first time. Terrible tragedy surrounded her in the aftermath of the Dalon Palace collapse, but for the few minutes she had with Cordira, and with Rech by her side, nothing else seemed to matter, and she knew they would make it through the devastation.

Elena and Derek faced a different kind of loss, though, as Koril's life hung in the balance because of her lapse in judgment. Feeling the pain suddenly returning to her, Mand swallowed and turned away, stepping over to the viewport that overlooked Agamar's landscape. She held her injured arm, noticing it throbbing, too, as her thoughts returned to her.

Derek had survived his birth, but he was a little premature and probably not the healthiest because of all the recent stress Elena had been under. Still, Rech didn't seem overly concerned about him, so he couldn't be too sick. Glancing back at them, she watched Rech carefully drape a necklace over Derek's head, adorning him with the Rys'tihn Crest they had recovered on Umgul. While in town earlier in the week, Mand had it repaired and refitted with a new, shorter chain, anticipating its new owner's size. The Crest itself was nearly twice the size of Derek's balled fist, making Mand smile briefly, but Rech caught her gaze, and she returned to the viewport.

She heard his footsteps come up behind her, but she didn't move until he spoke.

"Mand...did you do all this?"

Looking back at him, she glanced about at what he was speaking of: the modified bed Elena was still reclining in with Derek, lightly playing with his Crest on a new chain, a few sets of newborn clothes sitting on the main bed, and a simple, humble cradle set up beside the bed, complete with blankets and a small stuffed animal. She nodded briefly and looked down, recalling how moving everything into the _Celestia_ and into the room had forced her into the sling she had taken off earlier.

"I had to sell my blaster and my boots to have enough."

Slightly confused, Rech looked down at her feet, blinking as he saw her wearing...boots.

"I think they're Koril's," Mand confessed quietly. "I found them in that closet." Walking in them proved difficult, since her feet were much too small for them, but they had worked well enough. Briefly releasing her arm to pull her long brown hair over one shoulder and out of her face, she sighed, again looking to the floor.

"You going to tell me to leave?"

Rech's hesitation was both comforting and discouraging at the same time. "That's Elena's decision."

Nodding then remaining silent and motionless, Mand reached out to Rech with the Force, desperately seeking his connection, his comfort...

"Mand," he warned softly, halting her efforts. He stepped back from her slightly, pushing her deeper into despair. He didn't leave, though, and he lowered his voice even more as he continued.

"I do _not_ condone what happened between you and Horatio _at all_," he told her in a hard tone. She cowered from the harshness of his voice, but almost all trace of it was gone as he went on after the brief pause. "But...I can deal with it."

Puzzled and not quite sure what he meant, she turned back to face him, her eyes pained.

"He could've killed you, Mand."

The genuine fear in his voice was distressing for her to hear, adding to the extreme guilt she was already suffering. Glancing briefly at Elena with Derek, she returned her gaze to Rech, keeping herself together for a few more minutes.

"I wish he had."

Her cold statement visibly disturbed Rech, seeming to have truly surprised him. He opened his mouth to respond, but she spoke up instead.

"I'm going to go check on Koril."

She left him standing there, stunned, and passing by Elena, she looked at her friend with a long, sad gaze before leaving, meeting an excited Kaydee on her way out of the ship.

"Oh, Mistress Mand! You will never believe whom I have found!" Curious, Mand stopped as Kaydee ascended the ramp...with Eewon rolling closely behind her. He looked just as he had before, not a scratch anywhere, leaving Mand dumbfounded.

"What happened, Eewon, where have you been?"

The droid beeped enthusiastically, and after a long report, Kaydee did her best to translate for him.

"He says he is happy to inform you that he has successfully completed his mission. He assures you that he is quite alright, and that you needn't worry about him. I apologize, Mistress Mand, but I'm afraid I cannot get him to divulge more information. He appears to be in working order, but perhaps we should run some diagnostic tests just to be sure."

Eewon protested, though, and Kaydee turned to him. "My dear astromech friend, you are certainly not well. You disappear for a week and then return saying you have completed a secret mission? I think you are due for a routine memory wipe."

Again Eewon answered, but tired of hearing their arguing and just glad to have Eewon back, Mand waved to get their attention.

"We'll figure it out later. Kaydee, there's a new Rys'tihn in the main bedroom. I'm sure you'll have some duties and record keeping to attend to. As for you, Eewon..." she trailed off, thinking briefly. "Just stay in the main hold, okay?"

Eewon beeped affirmatively, though Mand hardly heard it over Kaydee's excitement as the protocol droid rushed to her new master. "Oh my, how wonderful! I do enjoy young children, especially newborns..."

As Mand watched Kaydee and Eewon follow her orders, Mand heard a strange noise echoing up into the ship. It sounded as though another ship was taking off nearby, but its engines hardly sounded very powerful. Stepping outside and looking up to the sky, she saw a small, nondescript fighter streaking away, quickly leaving the atmosphere.

Confused, Mand stared at the sky where it had been, wondering where it came from. The nearest settlement, or any kind of establishment for that matter, was several hundred kilometers away. Had the fighter left from there, it would have made a more distant howling sound, its engines powering up a long ways away. But the way these engines sounded...it had to have been landed on ground not far from them. Was it the doctor's personal ship? Or someone else's?

Mand continued on up into the building with concern, but finding both Dr. Vil and Nimier hard at work in their lab, and Koril still lying on the bed in the next room, she sighed and took up a seat beside her comatose friend. Briefly glancing at the tubes and wires still connected to him, she carefully picked up his icy hand and held it, silently pleading with every fiber in her being for him to survive.


	16. Chapter 16

_Shh, it's alright, don't cry. Mother's here. I won't let anything happen to you._

As Elena gently rocked Derek to sleep in her arms, she let peaceful thoughts and feelings flow into his mind to calm him. She and her son were already deeply connected in the Force, and even though she had been distracted, his delivery further solidified their bond. His tiny, undeveloped mind couldn't understand the abstract things she had whispered to him through the Force, but at their most difficult moment together, just moments before he was born, their minds connected on a completely different level. Not only did he seem to understand her, but he was almost instantly calmed by her thoughts and even reached out back to her. The experience still rendered her breathless when she thought back on it, and it made the joy of holding him in her arms that much more exhilarating.

Looking over his sleepy face, she couldn't help but sadly notice how much he looked like his father. Derek had her bright green eyes, that much was clear, but the rest of his features were definitely Koril's, even the curl of his lips. It was so hard for her to look at him and not tear up in bittersweet happiness, delighting in the life she had helped to create, while at the same time mourning the likely loss of another. Derek's life was just beginning, but she feared that he would never know his father.

Koril had survived through the day despite his heart rate slowing again, but Elena wasn't sure how much longer his weak, frail body could hold on. Dr. Vil had assured her, after she had visited him every hour after Derek's birth, that he was at least a week away from completing the new antidote. The news might have pleased Elena had it not already been almost four months since Koril had been infected. Even though keeping Koril in a coma had slowed the inevitable, every hour, every minute was just as crucial as the next, and with his time winding down slowly, Elena desolately wondered if the window in which he could've been saved had already closed.

..._been slammed closed_, she thought bitterly, by someone she thought she was beginning to count among her friends. Horatio had gone through a lot of trouble to get her away from the Huxnel when she had been kidnapped by them a few months into her pregnancy. She hadn't completely trusted him then, and especially not when he was part of a small team sent to capture her and Koril just before their wedding. He told Koril he was trying to protect them, but an intervening third party foiled his plans and her trust in him...until she had put it together on Umgul that it was he who had freed Koril from the Huxnel. She had wanted to talk to him, tell him that all was forgiven, but then he again destroyed any trace of confidence she had in him by taking off with Koril's antidote.

Why did he even bother with sneaking Koril away in the first place? If it had been his intention from the start to let Koril die, why even mess with crossing the Huxnel? The virus was apparently going to do its job without his intervention, so why prolong it and give her and Koril false hope?

Realizing that thinking about it was clouding her mind with anger and waking Derek back up, Elena sighed and continued to rock the infant, cooing softly at him to calm him.

_I'm sorry,_ she thought to her son, _I shouldn't be so angry, I know. You'll keep me in check, won't you?_

Smiling wanly as the boy resettled into sleep, she walked back over to his cradle, carefully lowering him down into it. She gently tucked a blanket around him, securing him before she sat beside him and began to hum softly to him. Tired but still able to function, she watched him sleep for a few moments, ensuring that he was really asleep. She envied him, able to rest calmly amidst such tension... She was shielding him from it, at least what didn't come from her, but it was quickly draining her. She would need a brief meditation of some kind soon.

She knew she wouldn't get it, though, as she stood back up and stepped over to Koril's side. After a few hours of recovery after Derek's birth, she had convinced Rech to move her and Derek into that main room in the doctor's building. Rech only reluctantly agreed, though, afraid the mood of the room might sour the baby's temperament or even affect his health. Confident that she could protect him, she carried him out of the ship and into the building, presenting him to Dr. Vil and Nimier, and then to Koril. Perhaps she had imagined it, but as she stood with him beside Koril, she thought she felt Derek's little mind briefly reaching out to his father...only to be discouraged by getting nothing back.

Again desperate for something to hope for, Elena closed her eyes and reached deep within herself, using the Force to extend her consciousness, trying to find Koril's. She sought any sign that he was still there, still fighting as he always had, but sadly, just the same as all her other attempts, she could feel nothing from him. His life force was just barely distinguishable, as bright as a distant star trying to shine through the daylight sky. Unwilling to give up, though, she held his hand lightly, brushing his hair back from his forehead with her free fingers.

His sandy brown hair had always stood straight up in the front, no matter how much he had messed with it. She smiled sadly as she remembered his old squadmates arriving at a meeting with him a few months back...all sporting the same front-spiked hair. They had hidden it under their hats before they met him, but as an ode to their former brother pilot turned Head of Security, they decided to poke fun at him to remind him of old times. They knew how much he missed flying, and from her bedroom balcony, Elena remembered watching the squadron making formation passes over the Manor that night with Koril in the lead. He showed them that he still had the best skills of anyone on Paneau, commanding any kind of craft to do his bidding and do it well, and they still respected him for it. He was a starfighter pilot at heart; no matter how many people he had under his command, he would find some way, any way to get into a fighter and lead the front lines himself.

And that was exactly how he had ended up close to death with little hope left for his own rescue. He had been so eager to save his Ghost Heir sister, he exchanged himself for her, bringing out the worst the Huxnel had to offer its prisoners. Had Elena not been pregnant, she would have gone instead of him, and things would have definitely played out very, very differently...

Somehow, Elena found that her gaze had wandered from Koril to up Mand, who was sitting on the opposite side of the bed, a little removed from Koril's side. She was slumped in the chair awkwardly, supporting her upper body on her injured left elbow, her left arm bent up with her fingers curled at her lips. Her right hand gripped her left shoulder tightly, as though easing its burden, but it was the expression on her face that perplexed Elena.

Though she still harbored anger at her friend for having allowed Horatio to leave with Koril's lifesaving antidote, Elena had at least calmed enough to allow her to stay in the same room. Mand had been by her side through Derek's birth, keeping her focused and composed long enough to deliver him. Elena had set aside her anger for the sake of her son, but now that Derek was no longer in danger because of her strong emotions, Elena could feel the resentment returning.

Despite the vast training she had as a formal Jedi Knight, Elena knew all too well how easily the descent into the Dark Side was. The revelation of Mand's fault in failing to stop Horatio pushed Elena closer than she had ever been, allowing everything she was feeling to power her brief attack on her friend. Anger, betrayal, hurt, loss, fear...she had leveled everything at Mand, and were it not for Rech's intervention, she may have done more.

Disgusted with herself, Elena again looked at Mand, attempting to decipher her strange expression. It was almost a vacant stare, but her eyes were focused on Koril. Her brows were furrowed as if she were in deep thought about something, desperately trying to put the pieces of some abstract puzzle together. Though she didn't have enough courage to approach her herself just yet, Elena gave Rech a significant glance as he looked up, standing opposite her. Though he checked on her and Derek from time to time, Rech had hardly left Koril's side, either, determined to keep him alive. Interpreting the glance from Elena, though, he looked behind himself at Mand, and he, too, became concerned.

Nodding a silent understanding to Elena, Rech stepped away from Koril and knelt in front of Mand while Elena watched and listened intently. Mand didn't move or even blink as Rech approached, though, heightening his concern.

"Mand," Rech began softly, "why don't you let me work on that shoulder?"

Startled as if suddenly waking up, Mand looked at Rech with surprise. "What?" Her voice was distant, and even though she was looking right at him, she sounded unsure if she was actually talking. "No, it's okay, it doesn't hurt." Did she think she was dreaming?

Rech persisted gently, though, watching her face. "If it doesn't hurt, then why are you holding it?"

Again, Mand looked genuinely surprised as she turned her head down to see what he was talking about. She immediately released her hand from her shoulder, confused herself as to why she had been holding it. Distracted, she repeated herself blankly. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt." She resumed her fixated gaze, her face twisted even further in confusion and thought.

"Mand," Rech demanded a little more forcefully, concerned, "what is wrong?"

She met his eyes briefly, but she quickly looked back up, focused on Koril. "I don't know," she said distantly. "Something's not right."

Without allowing Rech the chance to ask more questions, Mand stood and stepped up beside Koril, looking him over in serious concentration. Elena watched her carefully as Rech cautiously stood behind her.

"Or maybe it is," Mand breathed, answering herself. Confused, Elena glanced at Rech briefly before she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

Mand only furrowed her brows more, extending her hands over Koril's body. "I don't know," she answered softly. "I can't explain it, but...something's different." She closed her eyes briefly and concentrated, looking up at Rech when she finished. "Can't you feel it?"

Concerned, Rech didn't answer, but Elena's curiosity was definitely piqued.

"Different, what do you mean different?"

"I don't know," Mand confessed again, "I said I can't explain it. Something's changed within him, but...how..." Biting her lower lip, Mand looked Koril over once more, beginning to second guess herself, until...

Elena nearly choked on her breath as she saw one of Koril's hands flex briefly then release. Mand saw it, too, and an unreadable expression blanketed her face as she and Elena locked gazes. Rech saw the look on Elena's, though, and stepped closer, alarmed.

"His hand moved," Elena breathed, hardly able to believe it herself. She looked up at the monitors for confirmation, but not one of them had changed the slightest. Barely able to feel her own heartbeat, Elena watched Koril closely for more movement, silently begging for another sign of life...

After several anxious moments, he did move again, but both of his arms tensed and shook, as though opposing muscles were tightening at the same time and struggling to win over the other. As quickly as it started, though, his arms relaxed, and again, the monitors remained the same. The three of them exchanged worried glances, starting to realize simultaneously that Koril's movement like that was not normal. Feeling panic beginning to overpower her, though, Elena was hardly prepared for what happened next.

Just as Dr. Vil stepped into the room after Rech had called for him, a powerful body-wide muscle spasm gripped Koril, twisting his body as his back arched and his arms pulled and twitched in all directions. Dr. Vil could hardly get an order out in his shock.

"Keep his arms still!! Don't let the tubes get pulled out!"

Elena had to feed a surprising amount of power into her own arms to subdue just one of Koril's, barely holding it down against the bed as she watched Rech grab hold of the other. Koril's back was still arched as the spasm continued, his entire body shaking with terrible tension. Even though he had a rigid tube down his throat that kept him breathing, she could hear air being forced around it as he suffered, dislodging it from its proper place. Elena wasn't even aware that she had stopped breathing until she felt Koril's muscles release under her grip, landing him back on the bed as still as he had been before.

Nobody moved or said a word for what seemed like minutes. The only sound that echoed through the room was the beeping of the monitors, all of which had suddenly sped up to normal rhythms. Afraid that she was in some awful nightmare, Elena stared hard at Koril, reaching a shaky hand up to his face that was slightly turned away from her. His skin still had an ashy tint to it, but as she touched his cheek, he felt warm. Retracting her hand as if she didn't trust it, she leaned closer to him and couldn't believe what she was hearing.

He was gasping for breath.

"He's choking," she told them as she straightened his head and neck. Already on the other side of Koril, Dr. Vil pulled Koril's jaw up and after a few gentle tugs, he took the tubing out of Koril's mouth. Instantly Koril drew in a long, deep breath, continuing to cough and gasp as his lungs tried to work without coordination. Rech quickly stepped up in Dr. Vil's place, putting a hand on Koril's shoulder to calm his breathing. Eventually the gasping leveled out to slow, even breaths, but Koril remained motionless and unconscious.

Elena was still leaned over him, watching his face for the slightest sign of alertness. When it didn't come, though, she looked back up at Rech, Mand, Dr. Vil and Nimier all standing around Koril. Though she tried to ask a question, no sound came from her mouth, so instead, Dr. Vil asked it for her.

"What...just happened?"

Though he had posed the question to any of the five present, everyone turned to Mand for the answer.


	17. Chapter 17

Feeling the scrutiny of four sets of eyes burning into her, Mand froze, silent and motionless while she tried to formulate something to say. The whole thing had happened so fast, and it perplexed her; she was absolutely clueless as to what this change meant for Koril. Struggling to make sense of what had just happened, Mand stammered as she came up with a blunt answer for Dr. Vil's question.

"It looked like...an event."

Getting blank stares from them all, she released a shaky breath to explain. "It's what they called...that," she said as she looked at Koril, "when the virus is actively attacking the vic--" she had only barely stopped herself in time, "attacking their prisoners."

Dr. Vil sounded confused. "But that was the first time I had seen anything like that from Koril. The only time he moved was to open and close his eyes, and most of the time they were locked open. I didn't put him into the coma until a few days after he arrived here, and I never saw that happen."

Mand forced her brain into overdrive, desperately trying to remember everything she could about the virus, about the behaviors... Every prisoner she ever saw who had been given the Huxnel's nasty virus suffered routine attacks that looked just like what Koril had gone through. But, surely...

"The antidote you filtered out of Horatio," Mand continued as she looked at Dr. Vil, "did you test it on Koril's virus?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course, but it had absolutely no effect. It was attracted to Koril's virus, yes, but it didn't attack it. It wasn't made to destroy the same strain."

Mand brought a hand to her forehead, struggling to find the connection. "But that doesn't make any sense..." She looked at the four as she explained, doing her best to keep the confusion in her expression to a minimum. "Koril's event, what he just went through was exactly what I'd expect to see from someone who had been given the old virus, the original one, the one Horatio probably had the antidote for."

"So Koril has the old virus now?"

Mand looked at Rech. "I hope not," she said carefully. "I think it's more likely that this new strain he has might have degraded, and maybe it's reverting to something very similar. His strain may have been engineered from the old one."

"We'll take some blood samples, then," Dr. Vil offered, "and test it with the old antidote again." After nodding to Nimier who disappeared back into the lab, Dr. Vil returned to Koril, glancing over the tubes going into his arm, making sure they were still intact after his struggle. He looked back at Mand.

"Will it happen again?"

Mand shrugged with a confused expression. "It's possible... I really have no idea."

Dr. Vil nodded. "Then we should probably...restrain his arms in case it does. I don't want him to hurt himself or rip his tubing out. Most of them are feeding him nutrients and necessary fluids, while a few are keeping him sedated." Mand nodded, too, watching the doctor help Nimier briefly as they began to draw blood from Koril's arm. What Mand saw, though, as they began drawing it, froze her in place, and Dr. Vil and Nimier seemed taken aback by it as well.

The small vials they pulled out of the injector were full of Koril's blood, but Mand instantly knew they didn't look right. Instead of a deep red, the liquid was almost solid black. Without another word, the two quickly retreated to the lab, working rapidly. Mand wanted to watch briefly, but looking back at Koril and unsure how long it would be before the next event, she returned to his side, glancing about for something to tie his wrists with.

Stepping up wordlessly beside her, Elena curtly nudged Mand out of the way, already equipped to confine Koril's arms. She worked quickly but gently, worry hardening her expression as she held Koril's hand briefly. Mand continued to step back, sad as she acknowledged the message Elena sent. She sat on a bench near the room's perimeter, in a daze over the whole thing. Rech followed her and sat beside her, looking at her intently.

"How did you know?" he asked softly. Again, Mand could only shrug, sighing as she sat forward, watching Elena with Koril.

"I told you, I didn't. I could just...tell."

"But you knew something was going to happen?"

"No," Mand whispered with an effort, closing her eyes briefly. She was beginning to feel exhausted by all the questions, but she didn't want to upset Rech, so she continued quietly. "Somehow I was able to _feel_ a change. I didn't know what it meant, but I noticed it."

Recognizing her frustration, he took one of her hands gently, folding his fingers with hers. She squeezed his hand and released a shaky breath to try to show him she was calming down. Having forced herself to think back to her time with the Huxnel and recall all the memories associated with it, though, she only became more despondent. She knew what awaited Koril...

"Mand," Rech asked carefully, sensing her feelings. She swallowed dryly, again looking up at Koril.

"I hope the doctor has enough supplies to keep him sedated until he finishes that antidote..." She wanted to stop there, but for some reason she needed to continue; she needed to free herself of the awful truth. She hadn't been directly involved with it, but she had observed the operations the Huxnel ran, and prisoner torture was one of their favorites.

"I've seen what this virus does to people. The Huxnel were very proud of their creation. They boasted that they could break the most battle-hardened, military-trained enemy operative...in three days." She paused, gasping briefly though she held back her tears. "Koril's been under its control for months now. I'm just afraid that...when he wakes up, _if_ he wakes up...that it won't be him anymore."

Sighing sadly, Rech wrapped an arm around Mand's shoulders, hugging her against him as he lightly kissed the top of her head. "There's always hope," he whispered. "I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me when we landed here that Koril was still going to be alive today. I was even beginning to give up, but... Koril hasn't yet. It can't be a coincidence that he showed signs of life just hours after his son is born. He has one more voice pulling for him now, and maybe that was what he needed to fight back."

Mand nodded, though she didn't entirely believe him. They didn't understand, they didn't know what she knew. The virus was engineered to drive its victims insane from the constant barrage of excruciating pain or, if they survived the pain, inflict such body-wide damage that it eventually brought on death. Hopefully this new strain had some flaws, and hopefully it hadn't done the damage it was designed to do.

"You three," Dr. Vil's voice called across the hall. "Please join me in the lab."

Mand watched as Elena quickly checked on both of her men, ensuring that Derek still slept soundly and that Koril's vitals were stable before she joined them, just behind the two as they stepped into the lab. Nimier was still working with some strange looking tools at another table behind them, but Dr. Vil motioned them over to his main desk, pulling up an image on his large viewscreen.

"This was the sample we originally took from Koril when he first arrived. See how the virus is shaped? It attaches itself easily to nerve cells, though it seems there's an ample amount of it flowing through his bloodstream, as well. However, the majority we found on scans and tissue samples were attached to nerves."

The doctor held up a vial of normal looking blood, showing them as he brought his other hand around and held two vials side by side. The second one was almost black, as Mand had seen them draw from Koril earlier. Anxious to learn what the difference meant, she listened carefully as Dr. Vil continued, bringing up another image on the screen.

"This is what we just pulled out of Koril. Look at how little blood there actually is, and how many fragmented viruses there are."

The viruses themselves were dark in color, and instantly Mand noticed how different the two images looked. The first one showed how very thin and straight the virus bodies were, but on the second, they were mangled, broken apart and twisted around each other. Where the first image showed more than three or four blood cells for every virus, the second showed maybe fifteen to twenty pieces of virus per regular cell, making obvious the reason for the dark color to Koril's blood.

"They're being destroyed," Elena breathed. Dr. Vil nodded slightly.

"Or, as Mand suggested, they may be breaking down on their own. Whatever the case, we need to start filtering the waste out of Koril's system now before it piles up. Rech, Nimier could use your help to speed up the process like you did before."

Rech nodded and quickly joined Nimier, returning to Koril's side. Mand remained fixated on the images, though, perplexed. Standing beside her, she could tell that Elena had looked at her briefly before she, too, returned to Koril, but Mand didn't flinch. She couldn't wrap her mind around what was going on, and it was bothering her.

Stepping up closer to the screen, she looked hard at the second image, tracing her finger along the crumpled outline of one of the virus bodies, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She was no doctor, though, so she had no business making decisions on what she saw. Was something missing, or was she ignoring an obvious clue? Before she realized it, she was speaking her thoughts aloud.

"There's nothing attached to them, they're just...broken."

"Very good," Dr. Vil said beside her. "What do you think that means?"

Looking at the Bith man with a thoughtful expression, she contemplated it. "It means that...they may not be being destroyed. If something were attacking them, you should be able to see it still attached to one somewhere, but...they're just pieces."

"Excellent. However, there remains the chance that if something is actively destroying these viruses, it may dissolve itself after its work is done. That's actually how I have been designing Koril's antidote so as to not overtax his already weakened system with all the waste."

Blinking, Mand tried to keep a stunned look off her face. "Are...are you sure you or Nimier haven't given him anything, just to test it?"

Dr. Vil shook his head immediately. "Never. I only give my patients medication, or in Koril's case, an antidote, if I am one hundred percent sure it will work. Proper testing is important to make sure the treatment doesn't make things worse. It would be careless to administer something that may or may not work."

Mand nodded, but she still suspected that something else was going on. Without any outside influence, the viruses just _happened_ to suddenly look like Dr. Vil's antidote was destroying them? His second attempt at the antidote was still several days away from being complete, but...what Horatio had taken off with was just one last test from mass replication. Dr. Vil had sounded confident it would work, it just wasn't enough of a dose to be of any use yet. Or was it?

Curious but at the same time doubtful, Mand stepped back into the room, standing behind Rech as she watched him and Nimier work. Several more tubes had been hooked up to Koril's arm, quickly drawing out his darkened blood. They all converged into one larger tube, but further down, it split into two again. Rech held his hand over the split in deep concentration, and as the moments went by, Mand watched as the two tubes suddenly became two different colors. Rich red blood flowed away from Rech's hand, as did the thick black virus waste in a different tube.

Elena stood over Koril, watching his face intently as she stroked his cheek. She didn't acknowledge Mand, though she kept a close watch on the other two beside her. As the minutes wore on, Mand could tell that Rech and Nimier's efforts were working. Koril's skin was beginning to look more pink than gray, and his eyelids were quivering as if he were about to open them. Elena noticed, too, and her face lit up...but her hope was instantly dashed as another violent event gripped Koril. Thinking quickly, Nimier clamped the tubing, even though Elena's arm restraints were working well. Rech still held Koril's arm, though, just to be safe, and Elena tried vainly to keep Koril's shoulders down on the bed.

As before, it was over as quickly as it had started, and Mand couldn't help but notice that it was shorter than the first. It seemed like he had endured the same torture, but for just a few seconds less. Wordlessly, Rech and Nimier resettled Koril on the bed and checked his vitals as the ashy color returned to his skin. Elena had a pained look on her face, and Mand did, too, as Nimier pulled a breath mask over Koril's nose and mouth. Koril still breathed on his own, but one monitor was beeping, indicating that he didn't have enough oxygen in his blood.

All the progress they had just made seemed to have been completely reversed, but as Rech and Nimier resumed the filtering, Koril's color once again improved. His eyes even began to flutter, too, but just as before, another event set him back. His convulsing was painful for Mand to watch, since she knew the pain he was supposed to be suffering.

As they restarted their work on Koril again and again after another string of several events in a row, Mand again backed off from them, watching sadly as she sat beside Derek's cradle in the far corner of the room. Even with all the activity going on around the boy's father, the newborn still slept peacefully, making quiet, contented noises. Calmed by his tranquility, Mand reached her hand in, gently scooping his tiny hand up with one of her fingers. Reflexively he tightened his fingers around hers but remained asleep, gripping her fingertip in a weak hold. Mand smiled, bringing her other hand in to lightly stroke his soft, black hair, thinking briefly of the boy's future.

He was strong in the Force, she could tell, but how would that influence what path he took? As the son of the last remaining Rys'tihn heir, Derek had a lot of royal responsibility weighing on him already. Would he be forced to relinquish his identity as a Jedi in order to fulfill his predetermined destiny as a Royal? And if so, how would that affect the Jedi presence on Paneau? Elena certainly couldn't go anywhere, nearly married to royalty, but what of the others? Any more Jedi involved in the planet's affairs might cause concern with the Order, or with nearby systems...

Mand's thoughts were interrupted, though, as she heard Elena's hesitant voice break through the tense silence.

"He's waking up."


	18. Chapter 18

Elena could hardly move, her eyes fixed on Koril's. His were still fluttering, but as Mand and Dr. Vil swept up beside her, Rech, and Nimier, she felt her breath freeze in her chest as his eyes finally locked open. He didn't move anymore, though, and even his eyes were motionless, unfocused and staring straight up at the ceiling. As she leaned over him further, she saw his irises...his completely black irises.

"His eyes," she breathed in quiet horror. The beautiful, deep brown was gone, replaced by a cold, impersonal black color that solidly covered everything, save for a few small brown flecks in each one.

"This is the state he was in when he arrived here," Dr. Vil said quietly. "By all indications, he's conscious, but not responsive."

Rech shifted beside Elena, presumably looking at the monitors and the medications still hooked up to Koril. "How do you know? I thought you had him sedated."

"It must not be working anymore. All his vital signs are back up to normal now, and look, his brain patterns indicate --"

As Elena watched him and lightly stroked his cheek, she felt his head move under her hand as his eyes closed, silencing the others. His brows furrowed together as he grunted softly, amplified by the breath mask over his mouth. She could see his lips moving, but unable to hear him, she quickly tugged the mask off, pulling it over his head to get it out of the way. Her hands shook as she brushed his hair back from his forehead, and as his eyes fluttered halfway open, she finally recognized what he was saying...her name.

"Koril?" she whispered, her voice shaky in disbelief. His eyes weakly focused on hers, and as they gazed at each other for the first time in almost four months, a pained look took over his features while tears streamed from the outer corner of his eyes.

"No...no, shh," she comforted him as she lightly swept his tears away with her fingers, barely holding back her own. "It's okay, you're going to be okay..."

The expression on his face relaxed, though, after a few moments, and his eyes again closed slowly, the rest of his body going still as his head fell to the side. Panicked, Elena turned his head back up, searching his face.

"No, he's slipping, no," she said with obvious fear, but Rech put a strong hand on her shoulder, pulling her back slightly.

"Elena, relax," he commanded, and as she turned to face him, she leveled a bewildered look at him. He shook his head calmly, though, glancing up at the monitors over Koril's head. "It's alright, his vitals are stable. He's just unconscious."

Looking back down at Koril, she realized Rech was right, but she was still worried. Though the virus attacks, or "events," as Mand called them, had shortened in length and intensity to nothing since they had started a few hours earlier, she still anticipated something going wrong, something happening that would steal him away from her again. Every time she thought she would be getting him back, another problem would push him down harder, and she figured this time was no different. Doing her best to calm her anxiety, she turned to Rech and Dr. Vil, looking at them intensely.

"What now?"

"Now," Dr. Vil said with a hesitant sigh, "we wait. Rech, please see what you can do for him. His systems have been through a lot of trauma in a very short amount of time. Try to keep him unconscious; it should help to speed his recovery. Nimier, run the scans and some more blood work. I'll focus on finishing the antidote." With a quick nod to all present, Dr. Vil left with Nimier, disappearing back into the lab.

Feeling her energy waning, she lowered herself down onto a small stool beside the bed, fixing her sad gaze on Koril's face again. Rech wordlessly took up his usual post beside Koril opposite Elena, and before he resumed his concentration, she looked up at him.

"What about his eyes, Rech?" she asked quietly. "Can you do anything?"

Rech only met her gaze after a few moments, though, looking reluctant. "I'm not sure. If it has anything to do with the virus, I can't. I tried earlier, believe me, but I can't remove the virus bodies without damaging or permanently destroying his cells. I'm just not strong enough."

The regret in his voice saddened her, but she nodded and returned her gaze to Koril, reaching her hand up to caress his cheek to let him know she was still with him. As Rech once again began concentrating on healing Koril, she lowered her voice to nearly a whisper, doing her best to keep gloom out of her voice.

"Thank you for trying."

Though he was already deep in meditation, Elena felt Rech's acknowledgment, receiving a gentle nudge in the Force. She had to smile briefly, but it quickly faded as she realized just how much Rech had been doing, and for how long he had been doing it. Before they had even caught wind of where Koril might be, Rech had to fight exceptionally hard to keep his wife alive after she fell from a crumbling staircase. Though Mand still had a few minor injuries from it, he had repaired her well, though he looked the worse for it. Then for almost an entire week, he kept Elena and her son in a careful hibernation trance to subdue her early labor while they traveled, which she knew had to have steadily drained him. And since their arrival on Agamar, he constantly stayed at Koril's side and kept him alive for the two weeks they had been there, taking a break only to help her deliver Derek, calmly guiding her labor. He had worked so tirelessly, so faithfully, and it killed her to think how heartbroken Mand's betrayal had to have left him.

Right on schedule, Derek's soft cries broke into her thoughts. Before she could gather the strength to stand, though, Mand was already beside the cradle, reaching in to gently pick him up. Elena gave Koril a light kiss on his forehead before she turned and stepped over to Mand, swallowing dryly.

"He's--"

"Hungry," Mand quietly finished for her, rocking him carefully. "I know." Even though he continued to cry, she smiled down at him briefly before she handed him over to Elena, her expression falling as she purposely avoided Elena's gaze. After settling Derek in her arms, Elena silently returned to her seat beside Koril, draping a light blanket over her shoulder to cover Derek as he ate. Though hoping she wouldn't, Elena heard Mand slowly step up behind her, her voice quiet and pained.

"Elena, I..."

But as Elena resumed her gaze on Koril, she shook her head without even looking back to Mand.

"Don't. Not now."

Even in his intense concentration, the exchange caught Rech's attention. He raised his head to look at Elena with a sad expression, then his gaze followed Mand as she left the room. Sighing lightly, he returned to Elena, his eyes soft.

"Elena, she's _trying_," he pleaded. "This is completely tearing her up."

"She should've thought of that before she let Horatio go."

Rech's brows furrowed as though he were disappointed. "Koril's getting better. You can't hold onto this forever."

Elena looked at him incredulously, keeping her voice quiet but severe. "How can you defend her? She betrayed you! She betrayed us!"

"I know," Rech answered sadly. "I don't like what she did any more than you do, but Elena, _think_ about it. Things could've gone much, much worse. If Horatio's as dangerous as you've said, and obviously he cares for no one else but himself...he could've really hurt someone. He could've killed her."

"So I'm supposed to be happy that she's okay, when Koril's the one who might not survive?"

Rech leveled a harsh expression at her, barely keeping himself from snapping something back at her. Releasing a long breath to calm himself, he looked down at Koril, looking him over in thought. "Koril's very weak...but I think he'll make it. As long as we can get that antidote into him soon, I think he'll be okay."

Elena's anger instantly dissipated as she looked up at Rech, her eyes cautiously hopeful. "You really think so?"

Meeting her gaze, he nodded slowly.

"And I do, too."

Elena turned to look just as Dr. Vil and Nimier returned to the room, each with a datapad in hand. With Derek finally asleep in her arms after finishing his dinner, she gently resituated him and put him back in his cradle, tucking him into his blanket tenderly before returning to the others. As Nimier swept a small instrument over the length of Koril's body, she watched silently, curious. Anxious for what the doctor had to say, she looked between the two as they compared the results.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Dr. Vil continued quietly after a few moments, "but the virus is gone. There's nothing left of it in his system."

Elena blinked, briefly unsure that she heard him correctly. "...nothing? You're sure?"

Dr. Vil nodded. "We've run the scans three times now. There's not a trace of it left. He's completely free of it."

As his words began to sink in, Elena began to feel all the tension, all the worry and stress of the past four months dissipate, leaving her breathless and numb. She looked down at Koril, shaking with silent sobs as she stroked his face. He looked like he was simply sleeping, as if no torturous, deadly virus had ever touched him and he could wake up at any moment. But knowing he still had a long way to go, she sank back down to her seat as Rech stood behind her, gripping her shoulders for support as she continued to weep in sweet relief.

* * *

A steady, soft beep was again the first thing that his senses registered. It was slow and rhythmic, as though calmly easing him back into consciousness. Just as before, he heard it speed up ever so slightly as he drew in a deep breath, attracting the attention of others he could hear around him. All their voices seemed to blend together in a haze, making it difficult for him to distinguish them.

"We shouldn't tell him yet."

"What if he doesn't even remember?"

"He will. He recognized you earlier, and that's a very good sign."

"He's so weak, though, I can feel it..."

Elena's voice stood out, though, the last to speak, and as he realized how true her words were, he wanted to fall back asleep, but her light touch on his face, her soft voice near his ear...

"Koril?"

His mind felt exceptionally sluggish, as did his movements. Even opening his eyes took serious effort; he had no energy at all, but thankful that the intense pain had stopped and he was still able to move, he at least forced his eyes halfway open. Focusing them would take even more concentration, but for the time being, he could do with what he had.

He found himself reclined comfortably in an angled bed, sitting up enough to be able to look around the room without using much energy. He could make out the blurry outline of Elena's face, but beyond that, he wasn't sure. She was the only one who moved, though, putting a hand gently at his jaw. He could tell that she was smiling, lightly sweeping her thumb over his cheek. Though it cost him, he somehow found the strength to silently mouth the words.

_You found me._

Her expression seemed to falter, but she smiled again, nodding. "Of course. You didn't keep your promise, so I kept it for you."

Still groggy, he could hardly think. Promise? What promise?

She continued, though, picking up his hand gently. "How are you feeling?"

He couldn't even process enough information to answer truthfully. He wasn't hurting, that much he knew, but aside from that...

_Tired_, he managed to form. He closed his eyes, feeling what little energy he had left draining the longer he remained awake. In response, Elena ran her fingers through his hair lightly; her touch was so delicate, as though she were afraid of harming him...

"Koril, you're going to be okay," she went on. "The virus the Huxnel gave you is gone. All you have to do is get your strength back, and we'll be going home."

He had to force his eyes back open, fixing his unfocused gaze on her to make sure he correctly heard what she had said. Her face was only a few inches from his, calm but intense as she searched his eyes. She briefly looked upset as she looked at him, but she blinked it away as she set both of her hands at his jaw, gently lifting his face up to hers. Though he was still in a daze and not completely lucid, that was one thing he knew he couldn't do, not right now...

With what little strength he had left, he turned his head just slightly, closing his eyes again so he didn't have to see her reaction.

_No._

"It's okay, Koril, the virus is gone. It can't hurt you or anyone else anymore."

He kept his eyes closed and his head turned, though, resolute.

_No._

After a few moments, he felt her hands retract, and there was complete silence for what seemed like minutes. No one moved, and he felt sleep heavily weighing on him, about to pull him back under when he heard Mand's voice speak up quietly. It didn't sound like her at first, because it was so timid and scared, but as she went on, she became stronger.

"Let me talk to him, Elena. I know what it is."

Another long silence followed, but he finally heard the light shuffle of feet as a few people left the room. As he slowly opened his unfocused eyes once more, he saw only Mand sitting at his side where Elena had been, sporting a wan smile under sympathetic eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

As she reached out her hand to Koril's shoulder, Mand allowed her smile to fade, instead concentrating briefly.

"I'm going to give you a little boost of energy, okay?" she began. "It won't last very long, but it'll help." He didn't acknowledge her, but he at least maintained his weak gaze on her as she worked, feeding him strength enough to at least finish a conversation. She had an idea what was troubling him, and it didn't surprise her. Whether he was going to share his thoughts, though, she wasn't sure.

As she finished and sat back, she watched him carefully, observing his reaction. He seemed to consider his state, too, briefly testing his hand as he flexed it into a fist. His eyes looked more alert as he opened them more fully, but he remained silent, gazing back at her warily. Releasing a long breath, she took his hand in hers lightly.

"I think I know what's bothering you. What Elena said earlier... I know she didn't mean it the way you took it. She was concerned with your physical strength, your stamina that had been so severely weakened by the virus --"

He interrupted her, though, turning his head to look back up at the ceiling. His mouth moved, but still she heard no sound from him; she had to watch his lips carefully to decipher his words.

_But she was right. I am weak, and I betrayed her. _

Mand waited patiently for him to continue, squeezing his hand supportively.

_The first few days after they infected me...she was the only thing on my mind, she and the baby. But after two weeks of almost constant...extreme pain, I began to blame her for what happened to me. I don't know why... _Seemingly pained by the memory, he closed his eyes briefly. _It wasn't long after that before I stopped caring about anything. I even..._ _More than once, I wished for death...to escape it, end it... _He choked as she watched a few tears fall down his cheek._ I...I can't face her. I failed her. I need her forgiveness...but I don't know how I can ask for it._

"Koril," Mand answered as she moved closer to him, squeezing his hand again. She kept her voice soft, slow and sympathetic, understanding his mindset. "Koril, listen to me. You failed _no one_. The fact that you're awake and talking to me right now... I'm still having a hard time believing it. What you went through, what that virus was supposed to do to you...no living being should've had to endure it. But you did, and you were strong enough to survive when anyone else would've given up a long, long time ago. You suffered so much, and you suffered alone. You _cannot _blame yourself for how your mind tried to cope with the stress. The virus was designed to break you. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

She paused for a moment, searching his eyes as she allowed a small smile to form on her face. "You...amaze me. Jedi or non-Jedi, you have to be the strongest, toughest person I know...and I know some pretty sturdy people."

Koril's gaze shifted to her briefly before he looked elsewhere, taking in all she had said. She allowed him to think for a while before she continued.

"It's not going to happen overnight. You have a lot to recover, and a lot of time to catch up on. But we're going to be here for you through it all. You won't be alone anymore, I promise."

At her last statement, Koril again met her eyes, and she could even feel his hand weakly tighten around hers, making her smile again. It didn't last long, though, as she noticed his eyelids beginning to fall. She stood and tugged a light blanket over him, sitting back on her seat once she made sure he was comfortable. As she watched him for a few minutes, his eyes finally closed, having used up the energy she had given him. She sighed and stood again, leaning over him as she spoke softly.

"We're so happy to have you back."

Already asleep, though, Koril didn't respond. Still, Mand smiled and lightly touched his arm.

"Rest well," she whispered, briefly checking his monitors beside him before leaving quietly.

* * *

After settling Derek back down into his cradle after another feeding, Elena looked over at Rech, her brows furrowed in concern. She desperately wanted to know what was going on in Koril's mind, but he wouldn't even say a word to her. After all she had gone through to find him, after all the worry and uncertainty and tension, he had refused a simple kiss. As much as she tried to understand it and not let it bother her, she couldn't help but think that the awful virus had done its job. It had broken him, and an awful, empty feeling gripped her as she realized that she might not get him back.

It was a different kind of pain, different than what she had felt when his condition was worsening. Thinking that his body was giving up and that he wasn't going to survive was terrible enough, but strangely, the thought of him returning to Paneau without his brilliance, without his love and concern for his home planet and its people pierced her more deeply. What would they be without their selfless, profoundly passionate Head of Security? And how would the young King Verojec cope without his most trusted advisor and friend? It wouldn't just be her lost without him; his noble dedication would be missed by all, especially if they knew he was back but changed.

Though Rech met her gaze across the room, he remained silent. He hadn't said anything to her since their earlier heated exchange over her anger with Mand, as if he were giving her the opportunity to think through what they had said to each other. He wanted her to forgive Mand, and if she was honest with herself, she did, too.

The anger she still harbored was exhausting her more than Derek's constant feedings and changings were. Because of Mand, Koril had suffered longer than he should have...but he was inexplicably getting better, cured, she even dared to think. Despite all he still had to overcome to completely recover, it didn't seem that he was going to lose his battle because of Mand's mistake. It was becoming harder and harder for her to stay upset, but still the question remained, haunting her in the back of her mind: would she still have forgiven her friend if the outcome had been different?

Immediately, she wanted to say yes, but considering how furious her reaction had been, she couldn't quite convince herself that she would have been merciful. When such a thoughtless mistake had threatened to take the man she loved, she found out how quickly her own inner demon took over. Perhaps that was why the Jedi of the Old Republic had forbidden attachment; it only left the students of the Light Side of the Force susceptible to the rage-fueled power of the Dark Side. She had touched it twice during her search for Koril, once nearly choking the Huxnel pilot Zanti when she refused to give up information, and later attacking Mand, Force Pushing her into the wall hard enough to break her previously injured shoulder again.

Zanti was long gone, having left almost immediately after Horatio had disappeared, so thankfully Elena didn't have to deal with her anymore, but Mand hadn't gone anywhere. Even when Elena had refused to see or talk to her, Mand stayed by her side throughout Derek's delivery. They had mostly avoided each other since, but when Koril refused to talk to her after he had woken up, Mand's offer to console him had somehow comforted Elena... Rech had been right. She couldn't hold on to her resentment forever.

The longer she looked at her son Derek as he slept serenely, the more she felt compelled to apologize to her best friend. She lightly stroked his cheek with her finger before she looked back up at Rech, her expression resolute. Still he said nothing, but his eyes were proof enough that he understood. His gaze shifted, though, to the door beside them, waiting for Mand to come back. They had moved Derek's cradle to a closed room nearby to allow Koril the chance to rest as much as possible...and to hold off telling him of the boy's birth until the new dad was more stable and better able to handle the news. The passage of time hadn't seemed to register yet, and as long as Elena positioned herself just beside him, she could limit how much of her he could see.

The soft hiss of a door sliding open caught her attention, and looking over, she saw Mand step into the room, a relaxed expression on her face. She glanced between the two, smiling wanly.

"He's sleeping," she said quietly. Rech nodded and stood, taking the opportunity to continue his work on Koril. He stepped out of the room silently, kissing Mand on the cheek before leaving and closing the door behind him. Mand closed her eyes briefly with the kiss, but as she looked back up at Elena, her smile faded. Elena felt her voice catching in her throat as she tried to begin the conversation, and only after sitting with Mand beside her was she finally able to speak.

"What did he say?"

Mand released a long breath before she began, leveling a concerned expression at her. "You have to understand, he's been through a lot, Elena. From the day the Huxnel infected him almost four months ago up until Dr. Vil put him in that coma, he's been in constant, cruel pain, and most of the time he suffered alone. That virus was _designed_ to break the mind, and he was upset with the way his mind had tried to cope with everything. I got him to calm down, though, before he went back to sleep."

Surprising Elena, Mand smiled warmly as she continued. "I think he's going to be okay. It'll take some time for him to completely get back to himself, but based on what I just heard from him, his recovery sounds very promising. He was concerned with what you thought of him, how weak he seemed, but that's a good sign. It means he's mostly still himself. You'll just have to be exceptionally patien--"

Before Mand could finish her sentence, Elena flung her arms around Mand, embracing her tightly. Briefly stunned, Mand returned the hug hesitantly, but Elena tightened her hold, forcing her voice to work.

"I'm sorry," she breathed as she shook with the release of more than a week of pent up tension and anxiety. It was all she could think of to say, but she cringed as she realized how inadequate it sounded.

"It's okay," Mand answered quietly, "I deserved it."

Elena released her, sitting back to look at her squarely. "No, Mand... I didn't mean any of what I said. It was wrong of me to react the way I did. I had no right to hurt you, and I'm sorry."

Mand's expression was hard for Elena to read, but she eventually nodded, her eyes softening. She blinked and looked aside as if thinking about something, but as she returned to her, her face was calm. "Rech wants us back in there."

Elena nodded and returned to Derek's cradle, finding him still sound asleep, making her smile briefly. She gently tucked his blanket around him more tightly before she rejoined Mand, stepping back into the main room side by side.

Rech was at his usual place beside Koril, but both Dr. Vil and Nimier stood opposite him. The Bith had no discernible expression, but if the look on Nimier's face was any indication, it couldn't be bad news. Elena stood beside Rech, taking up Koril's hand carefully. He remained asleep, but she could feel his fingers moving slightly. As she looked back up at Dr. Vil, though, he went still.

"I just wanted to talk to you all briefly," Dr. Vil began. "All the tests I've been able to do have indicated that Koril is making a dramatic improvement. I think that once I finish the antidote, I'll have done all I can for him. When he stabilizes, which at this rate should be around the same time I complete the antidote, you should be able to return home for the remainder of his recovery. Whatever it is you're doing, Rech, keep doing it."

Releasing a long breath in relief, Elena leaned against Rech as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Mand spoke up beside them.

"I thought you said the virus was gone? You think he still needs the antidote?"

Dr. Vil nodded. "Just to be safe. One single virus left behind would be enough to bring it back to full force. The antidote will take care of any remaining viruses, and no guarantees, but I'm hoping it will clear up his eyes, as well."

Still leaning against Rech, Elena smiled wanly. "Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Vil nodded. "He is one lucky man to have you three for friends." With that, Dr. Vil and Nimier left, returning to continue their work in their lab across the hall. With such a promising report, Elena released Koril's hand and lowered herself onto a nearby chair, feeling even more tension leave her.

So they'd be going home soon. She wouldn't have thought it possible...Koril's improvement, his virus suddenly being destroyed, the assurances that he would be okay... Her relief flowed in the form of happy tears, and she smiled as she felt both Rech and Mand each put comforting hands on her shoulders. Koril definitely had luck on his side, that much was clear after all he had survived in recent years, but with her two best friends beside her, her son sleeping peacefully in the next room, and her fiancée well on his way to recovering...she, too, felt remarkably lucky.


	20. Chapter 20

"Alright, go ahead, Rech."

With Dr. Vil's approval, Rech closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as he drew upon the Force, calling on it to fill him with its energy. It had been several days since Koril had woken up, and he had been kept asleep for the majority of the time, giving him the chance to rest as much as possible while Rech kept a steady healing session going. Dr. Vil had finally completed the antidote, but intent on establishing a base condition before he administered it, he wanted to evaluate Koril first, and Rech was on hand to provide his friend with the energy he didn't have.

As Rech felt the power of the Force pulsing within him, he lightly placed his hand on Koril's shoulder. It required all his concentration and control to release it slowly so as to not overwhelm Koril's frail body, but as the tense moments continued and he felt the last of the energy leaving him, he opened his eyes and watched Koril closely.

Koril's eyes were the first to respond, opening wide and looking fully alert. He seemed briefly disoriented, but after a few seconds getting used to the sensation, he relaxed, looking up at both Dr. Vil and Rech beside him. Dr. Vil nodded to Nimier at his side, who injected a clear liquid into the tubes already connected to Koril's arms. Once Nimier finished and stepped back, Dr. Vil continued.

"That was a little boost of nutrients for your muscles. Now that you've had some energy lent to you, I want to see you move everything you can, okay?"

Though Koril briefly looked about the room, presumably searching for Elena, he nodded and complied, flexing and releasing his hands first. Rech watched him methodically test every muscle group up his arms to his torso, sitting up a little to check his back and shoulders. Even as he bent his knees up individually and rotated each foot around, his movements were deliberate and careful as he made a serious effort to assess himself. Rech was exceptionally glad to see him move so well, even though he knew it would be weeks before Koril would get that kind of strength back.

Despite his decent condition, though, the look on Koril's face was blank, almost as though he didn't care. Concerned, Rech looked up at Mand, who was seated beside the door to the small room where Elena was tending to Derek. Rech didn't even have to say anything to her, though; she easily understood his expression. She nodded and stood, quickly disappearing into the room without a sound. As Rech returned to Koril, Dr. Vil continued his evaluation.

"Very good," the Bith said approvingly as Koril gripped his hands tightly. "Now, has any of this hurt? Do your muscles ache at all?"

Though he took a few brief moments to consider the doctor's question, Koril eventually shook his head, remaining silent through the testing. Dr. Vil nodded, thinking momentarily before moving on.

"Well, if they do, and I'm sure they will, it's easily remedied. The bigger problem you're going to face, however, is muscle atrophy. You haven't used most of your muscles in months, and as a result, they've lost their strength and endurance. It'll take time, but with proper therapy and exercises, you should be able to get them back to their original condition." Dr. Vil paused, looking at the monitors and tubes still attached to Koril. "I'll leave you on these fluids and nutrients for now, and we'll send you with enough to supply you on your way. Your medical team at home should decide when you start trying to eat and drink again. Other than that...once I give you the antidote, I'll be done with you."

Once again, Koril's expression remained blank. Granted, the news wasn't exactly good, but the promise of returning home should've lifted his spirits somewhat. With a silent nod, though, both Dr. Vil and Nimier left, and Rech alone stood by Koril. He stepped closer, watching Koril intently.

"Still feeling alright? No pain?"

He at least met Rech's gaze as he nodded, but his sullen look stayed the same. Rech did his best not to frown.

"Do you feel up to talking for a little while? Because there's someone you should meet."

At that, Koril's brows furrowed in curiosity, and Rech couldn't help but smile as he looked toward the back of the room where both Elena and Mand stepped inside. Koril tried to follow Rech's line of sight, but the two were directly behind his bed, and he couldn't turn around far enough to see. Frustrated, he looked back at Rech with an impatient expression...but it disappeared the instant he heard the soft coo of a newborn behind him.

Rech watched a strange mix of emotions wash over Koril's face, ranging from shock and confusion to stunned disbelief as Elena slowly sat beside him, carefully cradling Derek who was quiet but awake. For a long moment, Koril gazed at his son without moving or breathing. He eventually took in and released a shaky breath as he briefly searched Elena's eyes, a million questions in his expression all fighting to be asked first. The longer he looked at Derek, though, the more clear his concern became.

_He's...healthy?_

Elena smiled warmly as she nodded and leaned her shoulder against his, bringing the little one in her arms closer to him. She tucked the blanket wrapped around Derek down from his small face so Koril could see him better, and she answered him with a tender voice.

"He was a little early," she said quietly, "but he's strong." Leaning into him further and lowering her head to meet his gaze, she continued at her softest volume.

"Just like his father."

Koril's expression faltered as he looked back down at Derek, his entire body shaking with overwhelming emotion. He closed his eyes and rolled his head to the side, gently touching his temple to Elena's as silent tears fell down her cheeks. Even from across the room, Rech could hear Koril's weak, breathless voice for the first time since he had woken up.

"Our son."

Elena smiled through her tears and answered just as quietly. "Our son."

Feeling the need to leave them with their tender family moment, Rech smiled tiredly at Mand beside him and took her hand, walking quietly with her up a bare flight of stairs to the open third floor. Looking out from the empty room, Rech briefly watched the Agamar settlement nearby twinkling in the chilly twilight air, but he returned his attention to his wife beside him, meeting her gaze. Without saying anything, they both turned and embraced tightly, enveloping each other in the warmth of the Force, as well.

Despite the trials they had faced that had tested and even broken their bond, they had prevailed and still their love remained pure and selfless. They were connected more deeply than either could fathom, and not even the Dark Side of the Force could sever their souls completely. He had spent his darkest days without her, but somehow he hadn't entirely lost hope, as though she were still with him while he wandered. And after he realized how close he had been to losing her again, he made a silent vow to himself that he would do whatever it took to protect her.

After several minutes in their loving embrace, Mand slowly released him and stepped back slightly to look at him properly. She brought a hand up to his face to softly caress his cheek, and she smiled as he gazed into her luminous brown eyes.

"I love you," she began quietly, "and I am so incredibly proud of you. You've hardly gotten a moment's rest since we left Paneau, and you never asked for it, either." She looked down briefly, her voice falling, as well. "I'm sorry for my part in it, and you know I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you."

Gently turning her chin up to meet his gaze again, Rech shook his head, his voice soft. "You don't owe me anything. It's enough of a reward to still have you here with me. I love you, too, Mand, and there's nothing in this galaxy that can change that."

As her eyes glowed with her smile again, he swept her up into a tender, passionate kiss, pulling her tightly against himself to completely experience the moment. Connected on an intense level that went beyond even their consciousness joined together in the Force, any other feeling was inadequate. As long as they had each other, they could conquer anything...

Again, Mand was the first to pull back, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Master Noor would've been proud of you, too."

Rech's expression fell as he thought of his old Master, who had not only been his most influential healing instructor, but had also become a good friend. He nodded sadly, still upset by thinking of the loss.

"He taught me well."

Mand smiled wanly at him to bring his back. "It helped that he had such an excellent learner in his star pupil."

Despite still mourning Master Noor's death, Rech had to smile again. He hadn't yet encountered a friend of Noor's who hadn't told him how much the Jedi Master had boasted about him. He had never thought himself much of a healer until he had recently faced such tragedy. Then his true skills had emerged, and he realized just how much he had learned from Noor. Rech was just as good, if not better than Master Noor...and he knew harsh scrutiny awaited him back on Coruscant once he informed the Jedi Order of his return. They were the ones who needed to be convinced of his proficiency and aptitude, as well as of his return from the Dark Side. But since healing was so heavily rooted in the Light Side of the Force, since it required him to selflessly sacrifice part of himself to heal another, he was confident he would have no trouble facing their tests. He had nothing to fear.

Still holding tightly to him, Mand rested her head on his chest, content to simply stand there with him in the silence and revel in every quiet moment they had together. It didn't take her long, though, to find something else to say, and he wasn't prepared at all for it.

"I want to have another child."

She looked up at him with obvious longing in her eyes, robbing him of words. He choked.

"...right now?"

Predictably, she narrowed her eyes and jabbed him sharply in the ribs, giving him a half-amused, half-scolding look.

"No, not _now_," she answered with a bite as he grimaced from the punishment. Her eyes softened, though, as she continued to think. "No, once we get things settled back on Paneau, once we decide what we're going to do for the rest of our lives, and where we're going to do it..."

Rech smiled, trying to put her anxiety at ease. "Well, I don't know about you, but Paneau seems like a promising place to me." Seeing her confused look, he continued. "I absolutely loved my job working as a medic in the clinics about Dalon. There was never a dull moment, and I always came home feeling fulfilled. It was fairly exhausting work in the long run, but the difference I made in those people's lives... I don't know of anything else I'd rather do more day after day."

Mand looked up and smiled, too. "Okay, that covers you, but what about me?"

After thinking a moment, Rech nodded. "You could get your old job back, too. I'm sure King Verojec doesn't want to look after his kid sister all day. He's much too important for that now."

He gave her a lopsided grin, and she laughed as she shook her head. "They have hired hands for that."

"Their nannies aren't Jedi who could train the young girl."

Instantly, Mand's expression fell. "Rech, I can't, I'm not even a formal Jedi Knight. There's no way they'd let me take on an apprentice."

But he shook his head. "It doesn't have to be formal. Tascit learned from someone not in the Order, and I'm sure she would've wanted Ri trained, too. Who would be better to teach her than you, someone Tascit trusted implicitly?"

Mand sighed lightly, still unsure about it. Understanding her hesitance, he hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, trying to get her mind back on other things.

"So we settle on Paneau, and get back to work. You don't think we're going to have our hands full enough with all that _and_ a one-year-old little girl?"

Once again, Mand smiled softly, gazing up at him. "Cordira will always have a special place in my heart, but... I want to be able to look into the face of a child we created together...and see your eyes."

The look on her face simply melted him. How could he say no? He struggled to find his voice again as he inclined his head to her, his eyes welling up with elation.

"Then we will."

Her smile left him reeling, and as he kissed her again, he knew that despite the long, tiring journey he faced getting Koril back home in decent health...he wouldn't feel a thing.


	21. Epilogue

The walk down the pristine white hallway was more nerve-wracking than even he had anticipated. It seemed as though there was no one in the complicated complex, but his instincts told him otherwise. For some reason he just couldn't see or hear others, and that thought kept his senses on edge without making it obvious he was nervous.

His eyes keenly registered every minute change in the wall's structure and color as he passed, and though he was only barely able to, he restrained himself from reaching a hand out to the subtle imperfections. Though rare, perhaps they were holo-projection walls, covering a doorway so as to deter random passers-by from looking in. Making his way through such a state-of-the-art facility, though, he didn't immediately dismiss the idea.

Finally reaching the door he was instructed to enter through, he paused briefly, taking a moment to gather himself before he met his newest employer. He had previously arranged the deal through encrypted messages, and only after successfully completing his first mission was he able to make a more personal approach. He almost regretted agreeing to the job, but he had somewhat remedied his issue he had with it. He idly wondered what kind of trouble he was going to get for it.

Releasing a slow breath, he pressed the panel to open the door and stepped inside. A pair of anonymous armed guards stood just beside him, but surprisingly they remained motionless. Though curious why a scientist required such a guard, he watched them warily as he passed, moving on into what looked like a cluttered lab.

Dozens of organized containers and tubes lined table after table, and what free space there had been was taken up by strange equipment and tools. Scientific projects and research were as foreign to him as politics and etiquette, so he was far from his comfort zone, nevermind having to be somewhere he wasn't familiar with. He almost always had an escape route planned wherever he was, but deep within such a fortified complex, he had few options. He had to go through with the meeting to its end.

Behind a tower of intricate equipment sat a spiky blond-haired man, hunched over a small display. Based on the man's white lab coat that hid a thin frame and a sharp, defined face, he knew he had found his new boss. The doctor set down his tool he had in his hand as he silently turned to face him, his hard gaze expectant.

After a brief moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled a few vials from his pocket, setting them on the table beside the tools. The doctor looked them over, his eyebrows arching as he counted them, fingering the lone silver one between two filled with black liquid.

"I specifically recall requesting _both_ samples."

Though he knew he was testing fate, he lied. "One got lost in transit, sorry. You should send an assistant with me next time. I'm not very organized."

The doctor leveled a piercing glare at him, seemingly having seen through his false report. He returned the glare, though, not backing down from his choice, and the doctor continued after a long silence.

"Indeed. I assume it's effective?"

He hesitated. "...Mostly, yeah."

The doctor's eyes narrowed even further. "Explain."

"I'll let you and your science buddies figure it out, but yeah, for the timeframe I was given, it works. Do you have what _I_ asked for?"

The doctor maintained his cold stare for a few long, intense moments, but he eventually nodded and out of nowhere, an assistant appeared from behind a shelf, handing him a datapad.

"She was a very difficult woman to track down. Apparently even before her husband was killed, she didn't want anybody to find her."

Taking the datapad, he looked over it, doing his best to hide his surprise. "...husband?"

"All on that datapad," the doctor answered uninterestedly. "As per our agreement, you will have no contact with her until we say otherwise. As a favor for you, we..._acquired_ a property on Malastare near hers. The Huxnel's reach cannot extend into our territory, so they cannot touch you there, and for our trouble, a few of my associates will always be on hand to contact you when we need you." Pausing momentarily, the doctor studied his expression. "...Is there a problem, Mr. Sheridan?"

Blinking himself out of his daze as he clicked through the datapad's information, Horatio shook his head. "No...no problem, Dr. Tzymo."

"Good," he responded quickly. "As we speak, your ship is being stripped and sold for parts. If any request we make of you requires the use of transport, weapons, or other equipment, it will be provided to you. Contact with anyone with whom you have worked recently is strictly limited and will be monitored. You will be credited a monthly allowance that will be more than enough to sustain you if you spend wisely, and I suggest you do. I take care of my people, Mr. Sheridan, but for that I demand unyielding loyalty. If you cross me, as you have your previous employers, believe me, there are things far worse than death."

Allowing his threat to sink in, Dr. Tzymo continued with a lighter tone as he moved his gaze about his lab as though in thought. "I am a man dedicated to education. If you are dead, you cannot learn, and everyone can learn something from a simple scientist like me."

Another assistant appeared beside Dr. Tzymo, handing him a second datapad. Without even looking at it, he passed it to Horatio, his voice cold once again. "Your next assignment."

Reading its contents, Horatio felt his stomach turn to ice. Anything but this...

"...you're sending me back there?"

Dr. Tzymo nodded. "Eventually. We'll inform you when you're to report to your contacts there. More details will follow later, as well. For now, I suggest you take the time to evaluate your actions." Turning in his chair to face him, Dr. Tzymo stood up, his lanky frame just taller than Horatio's. His icy glare was penetrating, but Horatio held his own. He had been threatened by street thugs more intimidating than the wiry scientist, but as Dr. Tzymo continued, Horatio felt the weight of his words.

"If you ever defy my orders again with a laughable attempt at heroics you thought you could get away with...there will be consequences. Am I understood?"

Horatio's eyes narrowed, but instead of firing off his patented wit, he conceded...for now.

"Yeah. Got it."

Dr. Tzymo returned to his table after an intense silence, waving him away with a bony hand. "My men will take you to our hold on Malastare, where you're to stay until I give you the order."

As the armed guards who had earlier paid him no mind herded him away, Dr. Tzymo spoke without looking back up.

"Rest well, Mr. Sheridan. You're going to need it."


End file.
